Unexpected Destinies Chapter 66
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,302
Summary: Bobby tells the others what they must do to prepare Sam for the ritual.
PRESENT
Bobby was still thinking about what he'd just learned when he knocked on the door to the Sam and Christian's room.
Dean and Castiel.
If he hadn't seen it himself, he'd never have believed it, especially with Dean involved. Bobby had often despaired of the boy's seeming inability to not chase every skirt that he could, though it hadn't escaped his notice that Dean had never let it interfere with a hunt. Doing it while on a hunt, hell yes, but not so that it interfered or endangered anyone. But always girls. He'd never so much as seen Dean look at a guy like that and now he couldn't help but wonder if that was because he'd never expected to, because the boy was just that good at hiding it, or because it had just never happened before Castiel.
It didn't really matter too much to Bobby except that he was a hunter and if it was either of the first two reasons then he really deserved to get what was coming to him. But as for the rest, he didn't really give a damn. That Dean was happy had been more then obvious and he had absolutely no doubt as to Castiel's commitment. The angel had been completely devoted to the elder Winchester for well over a year before their relationship had turned romantic, the lengths Castiel had gone for Dean had made that more then clear even back then and it had always scared him a bit. That kind of loyalty and devotion wasn't quite human and he'd always been afraid of what would happen when Dean inevitably failed to live up to those unrealistic expectations. It hadn't been that he'd thought the boy would do so purposefully, but merely that he knew that Dean was human and as flawed as any of them. It had been almost a relief in a strange way when that fear had finally played itself out and he'd been able to see that all Castiel had done had been to give the older Winchester a sound beating. Not to mention how ironic it was as he had absolutely no doubt as to exactly where Castiel had learned to deal with his anger like that. Served the boy right in a lot of ways.
It was odd how much better Bobby felt right now despite having just found out that the Apocalypse was still very much looming over their heads instead of being over and done with as they'd thought. He knew it was purely down to the fact that Dean had accepted his apology and that the boy was so happy at the moment despite everything fate and destiny had thrown at him. He'd just always had that damn soft spot for Dean and he knew it stemmed from the fact that he'd always wanted a son of his own. That thought inevitably brought up memories of Karen and thus he was infinitely grateful when the door opened to reveal Christian.
"Got some information to share," Bobby stated gruffly as he entered the room to find everyone already there.
"So do we," Sam said, pointing to a picture on his laptop. "Look familiar?"
"That's the third angel."
"Actually no, this is Donnie Finnerman."
"That name rings a bell."
"It should, Dean mentioned him once back when he told us what he and Cas had been up to when we went our separate ways there for a while."
"And?"
"He's the vessel for Raphael, Bobby," Sam practically spat. "The other douche bag angel that was so determined to get us to say yes. The one who killed Cas for trying to help Dean prevent the breaking of the last seal."
"Wait, Castiel was killed?" Samuel demanded.
"Yeah, but God brought him back."
"Are you sure it was God?" Christian asked.
"Yes, Cas was trying to help us stop the Apocalypse," Sam explained. "Besides, the second time he came back, Lucifer was the one who'd killed him and he was brought back after we went into the cage."
"So much for him being gone."
"I know, I just don't get why he doesn't step in and stop this whole thing, but he hasn't so far and I don't think we can count on him doing so. Anyway, what was it you had to tell us, Bobby?"
"Well, I had a little visit from Dean and Castiel," Bobby began.
"What? Why?" Christian demanded.
"Because I called Dean and he thought it would be best to speak in person."
"Why did you call him, Bobby?" Sam asked.
"To apologize."
"Seriously? You weren't just kidding when you said you thought we owed him one?"
"Yes, seriously, ya idjit. We were wrong and made a big mistake in trying to decide what was best for your brother," Bobby stated, some of his previous anger at Sam's attitude and behavior returning. "The least I could do was apologize to him for it and hope that he would forgive me."
"Did he?" Samuel inquired.
"Yes, though I'll clearly have to earn back the trust I lost."
"Some friend," Christian muttered.
Bobby bit back his instinctive response and forced himself to remain quiet for a few moments so as to prevent himself from snapping at the other hunter. He'd taken an instant dislike to Christian and had seen nothing since to change his mind, but now was not the time to get into an argument with the man. At first he'd thought his dislike stemmed from the fact that Christian seemed to have taken Dean's place in Sam's life, but the man quickly proved that he was an asshole in his own right. The hunter's complete and utter dislike of Dean also didn't help things any and he'd have gladly walked away never to see him again if it wasn't for the fact that Sam seemed to consider him family and worth sticking with.
"I betrayed his trust, it is only natural that I should have to earn it back," Bobby finally stated, noticing Sam's flinch out of the corner of his eye before angry determination took it's place.
Great, the boy was going to dig in his heels and be stubborn about this of all issues. Bobby felt his stomach twist as he suddenly realized that the days of the two brothers hunting together were well and truly over. Even if they managed to halt the Apocalypse in its tracks tomorrow, he knew that things would never be the same again, too much had happened between them for it ever to be the same as before, especially if Sam was going to be his usual mule headed self and not recognize that he was in the wrong and apologize. From what he'd seen earlier, Dean's days of simply forgiving them their trespasses without prompting was over and Sam was far too much like John to ever take the first step in this type of situation. Besides, then there was the whole thing with Castiel. Even if Sam could be made to see the error of his ways and he apologized, it would still be Dean and Castiel in addition to the youngest Winchester.
The thought made him frown. Sam obviously didn't know about his brother and Castiel as that had only developed after the whole Lisa fiasco, but did he knew that his brother liked men as well as women? Personally, Bobby didn't care one way or the other, but he couldn't help but wonder about the younger Winchester now. Surely if Dean swung both ways there had to be a reason why he hadn't known about that, it wasn't like the boy had any sense of decency or shame when it came sex. He'd hunted with the boys often enough to know that, not to mention the time he'd walked in on Dean watching porn once, though thank the Lord the boy hadn't actually gotten to the point of jacking off just yet. That was something he just didn't need to ever see.
So why hadn't he known about it? Why had Dean felt the need to hide that part of himself? The only reasons Bobby could think of were named Sam and John and he'd have hoped that if it were the latter, the boy would have felt safe enough to come out after his daddy's death. Which left just Sam. The thought that it could also be he himself hurt, but he quickly dismissed it. It had been Dean's idea earlier to tell him, not Castiel's, so the boy had been pretty sure that he wouldn't react badly, which meant that he hadn't been the reason for Dean's silence on the matter. The thing was, he just couldn't easily picture it being Sam either as he'd never noticed any prejudice of that nature in the younger man. But what did that leave? He'd just have to see whether Sam was homophobic later, now was not the time to deal with it.
"The fact that I've been forgiven in the first place is the important part," Bobby continued. "Before he left, I asked what I could do to help and he said that we need to make sure Sam underwent a complete cleansing before they do their ritual to ensure that Lucifer can't just take him again."
"Cleansing?" Gwen questioned in surprise. "Why would he need to undergo that?"
"Well, I did get pulled into Hell," Sam said. "I'm sure that's left its taint behind and would probably make it easier for Lucifer to get back in or make it harder for their ritual, especially if it uses any kind of special ingredients."
"Did you cleanse Dean after he got out of Hell?" Samuel asked.
"No, but he got pulled out by an angel, so Castiel might have taken care of it," Bobby replied thoughtfully. "Besides, only Dean's soul went to Hell, not his body like with Sam."
"Did he say what kind of cleansing spell would be best?" Christian demanded. "Or did he leave that detail out?"
"He said a complete cleansing, so I would use all of the common ones," Bobby said, forcing himself not to respond to the tone the man had used when he'd said that last. "It probably wouldn't hurt to do a short fast as well."
"Fast?" Sam inquired as his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Just how tainted do you think I am, Bobby?"
"You said it yourself, you were in Hell. Besides, that demon blood you drank probably left it's own taint behind. How much of it did you have at the end there?"
"Demon blood?" Samuel demanded, shocked. "Drank? You mean he- Sam, did you actually drink demon blood?"
From the shocked and horrified looks on the others' faces, Bobby realized that Sam had never told his newfound family about that particular aspect of his past. He felt his anger grow and he clenched his jaw as he thought about that. So, the boy had thought nothing of telling them about what Dean had done in Hell because he thought they had a right to know, but he had conveniently left out his own transgression. It was only the memory of the massive quantities of demon blood that Sam had consumed in Detroit that kept his mouth shut just now. To be honest, he'd forgotten all about that as the boy had come back seemingly okay and without any signs of withdrawal so he'd assumed it all burned off by Lucifer. Now, however, he couldn't help but wonder if some of its taint didn't remain. Could that be why Sam was behaving the way that he was now? It made him feel guilty because if that was the case, then he'd failed the boy badly.
On the other hand, it was also entirely possible that Sam's present behavior had nothing to do with the demon blood. Bobby knew that nothing he'd seen was entirely unlike the boy, it was just all more extreme versions of what Sam had said and done in the past. It was all far more John-like. If it had been anything else, he'd have tried to exorcism him long ago. No, the chances were that any lingering taint from the demon blood was more exacerbatory in nature than influential, which meant that all this was pure Sam.
"I had to in order to let Lucifer in," Sam confessed, looking down. "Castiel had said any vessel that housed Lucifer needed to drink it and we thought it best to do so ahead of time so that I'd be stronger from the get go."
Bobby found that he had little compassion for the youngest Winchester as he saw the disgust on the other's faces. Although this time his drinking of the blood had been dictated by circumstances, all but one of the previous times hadn't been. It was something that he still didn't understand and didn't think that he ever would if he were honest with himself. While he understood that Sam had been addicted to the stuff and hadn't been able to help himself towards the end any more than any other type of addict could, it was the beginning that he had problems with. Demon blood wasn't like the kinds of drugs that people normally go hooked on. Because, in the beginning of any addiction, you had to actually decide to take the drug in question for the first time and what in God's name the boy had been thinking deciding to drink that, he would never understand.
"I think it would probably be best if we started with a fast and your basic cleansing spell first," Bobby stated. "Just to be safe and see how bad things are."
"A good idea," Samuel agreed. "I believe we have almost all that we need for the basic spell."
Chapter 67
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 2,302
Summary: Bobby tells the others what they must do to prepare Sam for the ritual.
PRESENT
Bobby was still thinking about what he'd just learned when he knocked on the door to the Sam and Christian's room.
Dean and Castiel.
If he hadn't seen it himself, he'd never have believed it, especially with Dean involved. Bobby had often despaired of the boy's seeming inability to not chase every skirt that he could, though it hadn't escaped his notice that Dean had never let it interfere with a hunt. Doing it while on a hunt, hell yes, but not so that it interfered or endangered anyone. But always girls. He'd never so much as seen Dean look at a guy like that and now he couldn't help but wonder if that was because he'd never expected to, because the boy was just that good at hiding it, or because it had just never happened before Castiel.
It didn't really matter too much to Bobby except that he was a hunter and if it was either of the first two reasons then he really deserved to get what was coming to him. But as for the rest, he didn't really give a damn. That Dean was happy had been more then obvious and he had absolutely no doubt as to Castiel's commitment. The angel had been completely devoted to the elder Winchester for well over a year before their relationship had turned romantic, the lengths Castiel had gone for Dean had made that more then clear even back then and it had always scared him a bit. That kind of loyalty and devotion wasn't quite human and he'd always been afraid of what would happen when Dean inevitably failed to live up to those unrealistic expectations. It hadn't been that he'd thought the boy would do so purposefully, but merely that he knew that Dean was human and as flawed as any of them. It had been almost a relief in a strange way when that fear had finally played itself out and he'd been able to see that all Castiel had done had been to give the older Winchester a sound beating. Not to mention how ironic it was as he had absolutely no doubt as to exactly where Castiel had learned to deal with his anger like that. Served the boy right in a lot of ways.
It was odd how much better Bobby felt right now despite having just found out that the Apocalypse was still very much looming over their heads instead of being over and done with as they'd thought. He knew it was purely down to the fact that Dean had accepted his apology and that the boy was so happy at the moment despite everything fate and destiny had thrown at him. He'd just always had that damn soft spot for Dean and he knew it stemmed from the fact that he'd always wanted a son of his own. That thought inevitably brought up memories of Karen and thus he was infinitely grateful when the door opened to reveal Christian.
"Got some information to share," Bobby stated gruffly as he entered the room to find everyone already there.
"So do we," Sam said, pointing to a picture on his laptop. "Look familiar?"
"That's the third angel."
"Actually no, this is Donnie Finnerman."
"That name rings a bell."
"It should, Dean mentioned him once back when he told us what he and Cas had been up to when we went our separate ways there for a while."
"And?"
"He's the vessel for Raphael, Bobby," Sam practically spat. "The other douche bag angel that was so determined to get us to say yes. The one who killed Cas for trying to help Dean prevent the breaking of the last seal."
"Wait, Castiel was killed?" Samuel demanded.
"Yeah, but God brought him back."
"Are you sure it was God?" Christian asked.
"Yes, Cas was trying to help us stop the Apocalypse," Sam explained. "Besides, the second time he came back, Lucifer was the one who'd killed him and he was brought back after we went into the cage."
"So much for him being gone."
"I know, I just don't get why he doesn't step in and stop this whole thing, but he hasn't so far and I don't think we can count on him doing so. Anyway, what was it you had to tell us, Bobby?"
"Well, I had a little visit from Dean and Castiel," Bobby began.
"What? Why?" Christian demanded.
"Because I called Dean and he thought it would be best to speak in person."
"Why did you call him, Bobby?" Sam asked.
"To apologize."
"Seriously? You weren't just kidding when you said you thought we owed him one?"
"Yes, seriously, ya idjit. We were wrong and made a big mistake in trying to decide what was best for your brother," Bobby stated, some of his previous anger at Sam's attitude and behavior returning. "The least I could do was apologize to him for it and hope that he would forgive me."
"Did he?" Samuel inquired.
"Yes, though I'll clearly have to earn back the trust I lost."
"Some friend," Christian muttered.
Bobby bit back his instinctive response and forced himself to remain quiet for a few moments so as to prevent himself from snapping at the other hunter. He'd taken an instant dislike to Christian and had seen nothing since to change his mind, but now was not the time to get into an argument with the man. At first he'd thought his dislike stemmed from the fact that Christian seemed to have taken Dean's place in Sam's life, but the man quickly proved that he was an asshole in his own right. The hunter's complete and utter dislike of Dean also didn't help things any and he'd have gladly walked away never to see him again if it wasn't for the fact that Sam seemed to consider him family and worth sticking with.
"I betrayed his trust, it is only natural that I should have to earn it back," Bobby finally stated, noticing Sam's flinch out of the corner of his eye before angry determination took it's place.
Great, the boy was going to dig in his heels and be stubborn about this of all issues. Bobby felt his stomach twist as he suddenly realized that the days of the two brothers hunting together were well and truly over. Even if they managed to halt the Apocalypse in its tracks tomorrow, he knew that things would never be the same again, too much had happened between them for it ever to be the same as before, especially if Sam was going to be his usual mule headed self and not recognize that he was in the wrong and apologize. From what he'd seen earlier, Dean's days of simply forgiving them their trespasses without prompting was over and Sam was far too much like John to ever take the first step in this type of situation. Besides, then there was the whole thing with Castiel. Even if Sam could be made to see the error of his ways and he apologized, it would still be Dean and Castiel in addition to the youngest Winchester.
The thought made him frown. Sam obviously didn't know about his brother and Castiel as that had only developed after the whole Lisa fiasco, but did he knew that his brother liked men as well as women? Personally, Bobby didn't care one way or the other, but he couldn't help but wonder about the younger Winchester now. Surely if Dean swung both ways there had to be a reason why he hadn't known about that, it wasn't like the boy had any sense of decency or shame when it came sex. He'd hunted with the boys often enough to know that, not to mention the time he'd walked in on Dean watching porn once, though thank the Lord the boy hadn't actually gotten to the point of jacking off just yet. That was something he just didn't need to ever see.
So why hadn't he known about it? Why had Dean felt the need to hide that part of himself? The only reasons Bobby could think of were named Sam and John and he'd have hoped that if it were the latter, the boy would have felt safe enough to come out after his daddy's death. Which left just Sam. The thought that it could also be he himself hurt, but he quickly dismissed it. It had been Dean's idea earlier to tell him, not Castiel's, so the boy had been pretty sure that he wouldn't react badly, which meant that he hadn't been the reason for Dean's silence on the matter. The thing was, he just couldn't easily picture it being Sam either as he'd never noticed any prejudice of that nature in the younger man. But what did that leave? He'd just have to see whether Sam was homophobic later, now was not the time to deal with it.
"The fact that I've been forgiven in the first place is the important part," Bobby continued. "Before he left, I asked what I could do to help and he said that we need to make sure Sam underwent a complete cleansing before they do their ritual to ensure that Lucifer can't just take him again."
"Cleansing?" Gwen questioned in surprise. "Why would he need to undergo that?"
"Well, I did get pulled into Hell," Sam said. "I'm sure that's left its taint behind and would probably make it easier for Lucifer to get back in or make it harder for their ritual, especially if it uses any kind of special ingredients."
"Did you cleanse Dean after he got out of Hell?" Samuel asked.
"No, but he got pulled out by an angel, so Castiel might have taken care of it," Bobby replied thoughtfully. "Besides, only Dean's soul went to Hell, not his body like with Sam."
"Did he say what kind of cleansing spell would be best?" Christian demanded. "Or did he leave that detail out?"
"He said a complete cleansing, so I would use all of the common ones," Bobby said, forcing himself not to respond to the tone the man had used when he'd said that last. "It probably wouldn't hurt to do a short fast as well."
"Fast?" Sam inquired as his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Just how tainted do you think I am, Bobby?"
"You said it yourself, you were in Hell. Besides, that demon blood you drank probably left it's own taint behind. How much of it did you have at the end there?"
"Demon blood?" Samuel demanded, shocked. "Drank? You mean he- Sam, did you actually drink demon blood?"
From the shocked and horrified looks on the others' faces, Bobby realized that Sam had never told his newfound family about that particular aspect of his past. He felt his anger grow and he clenched his jaw as he thought about that. So, the boy had thought nothing of telling them about what Dean had done in Hell because he thought they had a right to know, but he had conveniently left out his own transgression. It was only the memory of the massive quantities of demon blood that Sam had consumed in Detroit that kept his mouth shut just now. To be honest, he'd forgotten all about that as the boy had come back seemingly okay and without any signs of withdrawal so he'd assumed it all burned off by Lucifer. Now, however, he couldn't help but wonder if some of its taint didn't remain. Could that be why Sam was behaving the way that he was now? It made him feel guilty because if that was the case, then he'd failed the boy badly.
On the other hand, it was also entirely possible that Sam's present behavior had nothing to do with the demon blood. Bobby knew that nothing he'd seen was entirely unlike the boy, it was just all more extreme versions of what Sam had said and done in the past. It was all far more John-like. If it had been anything else, he'd have tried to exorcism him long ago. No, the chances were that any lingering taint from the demon blood was more exacerbatory in nature than influential, which meant that all this was pure Sam.
"I had to in order to let Lucifer in," Sam confessed, looking down. "Castiel had said any vessel that housed Lucifer needed to drink it and we thought it best to do so ahead of time so that I'd be stronger from the get go."
Bobby found that he had little compassion for the youngest Winchester as he saw the disgust on the other's faces. Although this time his drinking of the blood had been dictated by circumstances, all but one of the previous times hadn't been. It was something that he still didn't understand and didn't think that he ever would if he were honest with himself. While he understood that Sam had been addicted to the stuff and hadn't been able to help himself towards the end any more than any other type of addict could, it was the beginning that he had problems with. Demon blood wasn't like the kinds of drugs that people normally go hooked on. Because, in the beginning of any addiction, you had to actually decide to take the drug in question for the first time and what in God's name the boy had been thinking deciding to drink that, he would never understand.
"I think it would probably be best if we started with a fast and your basic cleansing spell first," Bobby stated. "Just to be safe and see how bad things are."
"A good idea," Samuel agreed. "I believe we have almost all that we need for the basic spell."
Chapter 67