Fic: Witches, Demons and Hunters - Oh My! (Chapter 16)

Oct 15, 2008 14:51

Title: Witches, Demons and Hunters - Oh My!
Authors: Rachel/ princess_schez and Claudia/gidgetgal9
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence; AU
Fandom: Charmed/Supernatural
Summary: **Does contain spoilers for Supernatural S3, but none for S4.**
Dean's deal comes due and it has dire consequences for the Halliwell family in the future. Will the Halliwell family be able to change the past in order to protect their family?
Pairing: Sam/Melinda-ish
Characters: Sam and Dean Winchester; Bobby Singer; Piper, Leo, Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda Halliwell; Ruby; Lilith; and Missouri
Disclaimer: We own nothing from either Charmed or Supernatural. Everything belongs to their respective owners. We're merely having fun with them.
Author's Note: This was a collab effort between me and my wonderfully talented co-conspirator, Claudia/gidgetgal9.
There are also some things we would like to point out regarding this story:
1. It was stated after Charmed's series finale that Piper did have a third child, the long-awaited Melinda.
2. Most of Ruby's history has been changed to fit the plot of the story.
3. Chris Halliwell still has memories of what his "past life" (when Wyatt was evil) was like, even though he changed the future at the end of Charmed's S6.
4. Plot takes place after Malleus Maleficarum.



Prologue and Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15

X-posted to different communities.



Chapter 16

He had almost forgotten what it was like to be human and to experience human emotion. Dean wanted to forget those emotions; but when it came to Sam, he couldn't. When he saw his younger brother gravely injured, those long-forgotten feelings flooded over him again. He was tired of riding the emotional rollercoaster, so why couldn't Sam just give in to his inner darkness? Why did he have to be so damn stubborn? That infamous Winchester stubbornness ...

Wyatt and the other demons had nothing to do but wait. So far, things were going according to Dean's new plan. Wyatt had successfully tracked down the voodoo priestess in New Orleans, but she didn't go obligingly with the elder Halliwell. It had been a nasty ordeal; but with some "convincing," she went with him and removed Dean's body from the freezer.

Now, Demon Dean took extra precautions to make sure his remains were properly cared for in the time leading up to his "rebirth."

He stood over the corpse, eyeing himself. It was rather weird to be able to look down upon one's own body; but shortly, everything would be settled. Sam would be the leader of the underworld, and he - as his big brother - would help him to achieve it.

His body was still frozen, but now it would only be a matter of time. He motioned for the priestess to come over and begin preparing his body for the ritual.

-0-

Sam again tried to levitate the garden spade, but he found it difficult to concentrate. Ruby watched, smirking, as Melinda glared at her.

"You know, Sammy baby, levitating things at Lilith won't help much in saving your precious brother," Ruby commented, much to the annoyance of Sam. Melinda, however, spoke in his defense.

"Ruby, you're not helping. If you want to make yourself useful, you'll leave Sam and us alone."

"Fine," she growled. "But just a little FYI for you, Sammy. No matter how much practice you cram into the remaining time, it won't be enough to stop Lilith."

Sam looked at Ruby. "What do you suggest then?" he asked, trying hard to keep his voice calm.

"Seeing as how I'm not welcomed here," she said, indicating the invisible wall and looking directly at Missouri, "you'll just have to figure that one out for yourself." Ruby smiled before disappearing.

"I can't believe you two are related," Missouri said with a sigh, looking at Melinda.

Sam shook his head as Melinda looked up at him, her troubled face taking him by surprise.

"Missouri didn't mean it in a bad way -" he began, but Melinda shook her head.

"That's not it. It's what Ruby said. She's right." Melinda sighed. "As much as we'd hate to admit it, she is. Sam, you've come a long way in such a short amount of time learning your powers, but Lilith's had many centuries to grow accustomed to her own. We don't have enough time until tonight."

Sam closed his eyes and sighed. The truth was never easy to accept. "What should we do, then?" he asked.

"In The Book of Shadows, there's a spell - a very powerful spell - that will allow you to weaken Lilith and, should you decide to, kill her after cornering her," Melinda replied.

"We need that spell then -" he began, but Melinda looked doubtful.

"It's a dangerous and highly risky spell. It consumes all kinds of magic, powers, whatever it wants. The Hallow will consume you if it isn't removed in time."

"I have to take that risk. It's the only way I'll be able to stop Lilith and get Dean back, and for you to save your family. How do we do the spell?"

Melinda looked at Sam, who desperately wanted to know. He had those eyes, those sad puppy dog eyes that made her heart melt.

"I don't know. I've never used it before. And the book is locked up in the Impala, back at the motel."

Melinda stepped closer and put an arm around Sam's waist. Holding him close made her feel stronger. Missouri watched on, her heart breaking for the young couple.

-0-

"Chris, we need to talk," Melinda stated, watching as her brother looked up at her from the kitchen table. The tone of her voice made him worry. He shifted some maps and papers aside, gave the amethyst crystal to Bobby, and excused himself. Melinda led him out the front door.

"Sis, what's up?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"We need The Book of Shadows."

"But it's back in the Impala and -"

"I know, but we need it to help Sam." Melinda watched as comprehension dawned on her brother's face. He shook his head.

"Melinda, that's not even an option. It's too risky and way too dangerous."

"Sam's very powerful, but there isn't nearly enough time for him to master all his powers before the battle. And it'll just be until he can force Lilith to return Dean's soul. Once he gets Dean's soul, we can reverse the spell. What other options do we have? If we don't change the past, our future will be more screwed than before."

Chris didn't like the options he was faced with. Trying to figure out which plan was the lesser of two evils was like trying to defuse a bomb: Each one could potentially blow up in their faces and damage their future more so than it already was.

Grumbling, he desperately hoped she knew what she was doing.

Melinda stayed outside, enjoying the fresh air as Chris went back inside. He needed to find Sam so he could unlock the Impala, but he would have to orb them to where it sat. He hoped they wouldn't encounter any demons.

-0-

The black car was still parked where they left it - in the parking lot of a rundown motel - but as Chris and Sam watched from behind a building across the deserted road, something about the quietness of the situation felt off. Surely Dean would have tracked the car and placed scouts to look after it. Nothing ever came that easy.

-0-

After a few minutes passed, Melinda went back inside Missouri's house. There was still work that needed to be done for the battle ahead. Bobby was sitting at the table, looking over some maps. He looked up at the girl; he had bad news to share with her.

"According to your brother, Dean's body is missing. He did some kind of weird sensing thing before you came in to make sure the body was still safe, and well, that blasted demon got it. What I don't understand is how Dean could've broken through the protection your brother and I placed around it," Bobby said, taking his hat off and massaging his head.

"Don't know," she replied, looking at the clutter on the table and taking the crystal from his hand. "Here, let me help you with that. Maybe together we can find Dean's body."

Bobby handed Melinda a map, and she began scrying. It took some time, but eventually the crystal began hovering toward a location on the map. Bobby got up and moved in closer to the young girl. It wouldn't land directly on the map, which told her that the body was being protected by magic. It could only sense bits and pieces.

"It looks as if Demon Dean might be keeping the body at your house or someplace nearby," Melinda said, watching as the crystal continued to quiver near the vicinity of his house. Bobby looked semi-relieved, but he was still deeply concerned. He threw the hat back on his head and sighed.

"That idgit demon brother of Sam's strikes again."

-0-

Sam reached into his pocket to pull out the car keys as Chris stood by, keeping lookout to make sure nothing demonic approached. The keys turned in the lock, but as soon as Sam opened the door, Chris shouted.

Wyatt - appearing out of nowhere - was closing in on them. His eyes turned black as he walked toward his younger brother.

"Wyatt, stop!" Chris yelled. "This isn't you! You need to get a hold of yourself!"

His words did little good. Wyatt sent Chris sailing through the air, landing painfully against the asphalt.

"Hurry up and get the book!" Chris yelled as he orbed away from an oncoming fireball. Sam reached into the back and grabbed the heavy, leather-bound Book of Shadows.

Chris wanted to avoid attacking his brother at all costs, but if Sam didn't hurry up, he was afraid he'd have to do something he might regret.

"I've got it!" Sam yelled, locking the Impala up. He looked up as Chris used his energy power to send Wyatt back.

"We might need some of the supplies," he began, but Chris' voice cut over his.

"We don't have time."

A whoosh filled Sam's ears as he was orbed away.

-0-

The sun was lower in the sky when Sam and Chris returned. Melinda was back in the kitchen with Missouri, preparing what she imagined to be their last meal if things didn't work out tonight. Missouri patted the girl on the shoulder; she could sense how anxious she was as the hours slowly ticked by to nightfall.

"Don't you worry too much about it, sweetie," Missouri commented.

Melinda could feel her eyes beginning to grow moist. The battle scared the living daylights out of her, but what upset her most was knowing this would be the last night she would have with Sam. But she also wanted to see her family again, more than anything. The conflicting emotions confused and devastated her. Her heart broke.

Missouri sensed Melinda's confliction and tried to comfort the poor girl.

"Honey, you're gonna see your family again," Missouri assured her. "And as for Sam, as long as you hold the love you feel for him in your heart, ya'll never truly be separate."

Melinda sighed as two more voices filled the other room.

"Well, speak of the proverbial devils! Sam and your brother are here," she said, taking over control of the stove from Melinda. "You go see if they brought any new developments with 'em."

Chris had placed The Book of Shadows on the table, flipping through the pages as he silently cursed Dean and Wyatt. They were both getting heavily on his nerves. Once he found the page they were looking for, the section entitled The Hallow, Melinda handed him a piece of paper and pen so he could write down the incantation. This went completely against his better judgment, but they were low on options as the day slowly turned into night.

Sam looked over Chris' shoulder, reading the description.

Ancient beyond measure, the Hallow is the most powerful and unstable force known to magic. For an eternity, both good and evil have guarded and restricted use of the Hallow's unstoppable, all-consuming hunger for power.

-0-

Dinner was an unusually quiet affair. Sam had taken it upon himself to sit next to Melinda. He, too, knew that no matter what happened tonight, this would be the last the time they were together. A part of him - a small, selfish part - didn't want Melinda to leave. But he couldn't keep her here, no matter how much he wished he could; she had her own family and time to go back to.

With his free hand, he touched Melinda's, wondering if it would be the last time he would do so. She tightened her grip, as though her life depended on it.

"So," Bobby said, breaking the silence, as Melinda and Sam let each other's hand go. "We should have a plan before going to the cemetery."

"I agree," Chris replied. "We still have some potions left over in case we need them."

"Good, and we need to make sure we're properly cloaked. Once we get there, we should do that spell thingy of yours to help Sam."

"Speaking of which," Sam spoke up, "what do we need to do in regards to this spell?" He looked at Melinda, anxiety etched onto his face.

"Only a Charmed power can call for it, so you'll have to hold my hand - tapping into my power - as you recite the spell that Chris wrote down," Melinda answered. "From there, we'll hopefully encounter Lilith, and you can take it from there. With any luck, Dean won't show up, let alone know how to de-cloak us."

When their meal was finished, Missouri got up to clear the table. Melinda offered to help, but her offer was rejected.

"Nah, you just sit and finalize your stuff. You've got a big night a head of y'all."

The finality of everything began to set in as the last bits of sunlight faded into night and the first stars began to twinkle in the sky. The tension began to mount, and Melinda took a deep breath to calm down. She looked at Chris, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as she: This was the biggest challenge they ever faced.

"We should be going," Sam murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He looked toward Melinda, for reasons he wasn't sure of. Maybe, he thought to himself, it was so he could remember her face. Smiling, she turned to leave as Chris explained to Missouri how she should protect herself from Demon Dean should he show up. They had gone into the kitchen, but Melinda held back, as the tiny room couldn't hold another person. Instead, she waited by the doorway. Watching Chris explain the different uses of the potions was rather entertaining.

"Ya mean to tell me that you can blow things, or people, up?" Missouri asked. "Y'all must not have many enemies left."

Chris shrugged. "You'd think."

Reluctantly, she took the vials. "So you just throw it at them?"

He nodded in approval. "But only if you have to."

Melinda continued watching as she felt a tapping on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Sam behind her. He quietly led her away as Chris began instructing Missouri on how to place the crystals around her house.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He looked nervous. "Melinda, this is probably the last time we're going to be together."

She looked down. "I know," she mumbled.

"I just want you to know that ..." He stopped. The words had caught painfully in his throat.

Perhaps it was the fear of not knowing what would happen tonight that drove her to do this, or the fact that words couldn't quite convey what she was feeling, but before she could even stop herself, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer to her, her lips on his.

They only pulled away when they heard Dean's voice yelling to them from outside.

"Sammy! I know you're in there!"

Sam looked out the window to see his brother pacing around the perimeter of Missouri's front yard. Dean couldn't enter because of Missouri's demon protection, but Sam still didn't feel safe. Suddenly, Wyatt appeared at Dean's side, as did a few dozen or so demonic forces. Dean had turned his back to face the ragtag group.

"Oh crap," Melinda gasped, as Chris, Bobby, and Missouri reentered the room. They too heard Dean's piercing voice and the murmuring of the others.

"We don't have much time left," Bobby said. "We need to get this show on the road."

As Chris began cloaking Sam and Bobby, Melinda continued to watch the scene unfold outside. Dean had turned again, his black eyes staring eerily at her. A finger slid across his throat in a threatening manner. Slowly, his face broke into the same cruel smile she remembered so well. The sight of it sent chills down her spine.

"C'mon, Melinda, you need to be cloaked too," came her brother's voice, snapping her from her fixation with the frightening scene outside.

Once she had been cloaked, they grabbed their supplies before heading out. Chris held Melinda's arm, and she in turn held Sam's hand. Bobby placed his on Chris' shoulder; his free hand gripping his rifle before they orbed away to an uncertain fate. Missouri watched on as fear grew in the pit of her stomach. She hoped they would survive the encounter.

-0-

Chris orbed them to the entrance of the cemetery, careful to avoid any detection, be it police or demonic. From there, Sam led the little group back through the familiar path to where the stone circle still lay.

They stopped and looked around. The moon was full in the sky, lighting everything on the ground; after a moment, they watched as a little girl appeared from almost out of nowhere, walking toward the circle. She seemed not to notice the foursome - a sure sign that their cloak worked - and instead went straight to her work.

"I need that spell," Sam whispered to Melinda. She nodded toward her brother, and reluctantly he handed Sam the spell to summon the Hallow.

Sam took a deep breath to calm himself while Melinda held his hand.

"It'll be okay, Sam," she whispered as he cleared his throat.

"Ultirusque A Profugus
Addo Is Hic, Addo Is Iam
Nos Dico Super In Concesses Vox
Bonus Quod Malum."

The ground began to shake, a low rumbling sound followed as a black vapor began to rise from the ground.

Sam watched it before he fell to his knees, the blackness encircling him. The connection between him and Melinda was broken. He let out an ear-piercing scream.

Lilith looked up. Somebody was here; she could sense it.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she chanted in a singsong voce. "I know you're here!"

Slowly, Sam stood up, and with a wave of his hand, removed the cloaking spell. Bobby and Chris watched as Sam walked toward Lilith, his eyes focused solely on the little girl. With a wave of his hand, she went sailing into a large headstone.

"Well, that wasn't very nice!" she shouted, her eyes turning pure white. She raised her right hand, aiming a curse at Sam, but he sidestepped it. Melinda, who was watching nearby, missed being hit by mere inches.

Chris ran over to his sister, fearing that she had been hit.

"I'm fine, Chris," she said.

Bobby hurried over, his rifle loaded and ready to shoot at something behind the siblings. Chris and Melinda turned as Dean appeared from nowhere, glaring at the young girl, his hazel eyes turning black. Chris stood in front of his sister, shielding her from Dean and whatever harm he was planning on sending her way. It was his job as her big brother to protect her.

"It seems," Dean began nonchalantly as he strode up to them, "that you forgot to cloak yourselves from me. I've been watching, waiting for you to show up and try and to save me. And I must admit, this whole ordeal has been relatively fun, but the fun will end tonight. First, I'll end the goody-two-shoes brigade, then set after getting my brother to join me," he said, making a move closer to the siblings. He raised his right hand, and the cloak covering Sam and Lilith was lifted. Dean watched them carefully before turning back to the people in front of him. These people were the cause of his troubles, and the girl was the one who was encroaching upon his rightful place as Sam's mentor.

Chris tried using his power to send Dean away, but Dean blocked it and sent his own energy at Chris. But he was quicker as he pushed Melinda back before he orbed away. Dean made to go after Melinda next, but Bobby fired a warning shot that missed hitting Demon Dean's feet by inches. He stopped.

"Boy, you stop that nonsense right now," Bobby growled.

"Would you really shoot me?" Dean asked, eyeing the gun pointed at him with mock concern.

"You keep goin' on with that craziness, and we'll see what happens."

Dean sighed. "Bobby, I am surprised at you, old friend." With a wave of his hand, the older hunter froze in his spot.

Satisfied, Dean now stepped closer to Melinda, ready to eliminate the competition for Sam's attention once and for all. She stood, ready to face Dean.

Where was Chris? she wondered as she tried to freeze the oncoming demon, but nothing happened. He stood close to her, his soulless black eyes glaring hatred down at her. She stood in her spot, afraid to move. She worried that she would leave herself vulnerable if she tried to turn and run.

"Good bye, dear Melinda." Dean raised his hand; a large fireball grew in the palm of his hand. Behind her, some distance away, Sam was still fighting Lilith. Their fighting drowned out everything around them. Sam was completely unaware of what was taking place behind him.

With the fireball ready to go and aimed at Melinda, Chris reappeared in the nick of time as Dean prepared to throw the fireball. From behind, he grabbed Dean and dragged him roughly to the ground, the trajectory of the fireball going off course. Melinda watched in horror as time seemed slowed down. She began to move, but she wasn't quick enough. A pain erupted in her leg; it felt like it had been torn open. Crumpling to the ground, she saw a deep gash glinting ruby red in the moonlight. She winced in pain, as Chris continued to struggle with Dean. The demon waved his hand as Bobby unfroze from his spot.

"Chris!" she yelled.

Up ahead, Wyatt and about twenty or so other demons appeared, and an unnoticed pair of feet stood beside her.

-0-

Sam couldn't see what was going on behind him; all he knew - all he was focusing on - was Lilith. His mind was a blur of racing thoughts, none of which made sense. A voice from the deepest parts of his mind told him to let go, to give in. He struggled with this inner battle, while maintaining his fight with Lilith. He needed to keep reminding himself of the chakras. They kept that nagging voice of giving into the imposing darkness.

Lilith was strong - he'd give her that - but he knew he was better. He could see it in her eyes. His first attack took her by surprise, and a flicker of fear showed on her face. She wasn't expecting Sam to be so powerful so suddenly.

Sam sent a powerful blast her way, but she dodged it. Her anger was mounting; she wasn't going to be beaten by a mortal.

Lilith countered with her own attack. She twisted her head, as a deep gash made its way into his abdomen. He felt the pain but didn't flinch.

"Sammy, I don't like the way you play." Lilith's face broke into an eerie smile as she cocked her head.

"Give me back my brother's soul!" he yelled.

"Now why would I do that?" she laughed.

charmed

Previous post Next post
Up