san francisco } { only as a last resort
“This is a foolish plan.”
Sam exhaled slowly, trying to keep himself focused. He knew that Castiel was paid to be skeptical in a sense, but this was the only avenue they had left. And he had a whitelighter for a reason. He had rejected Leo’s guidance before but he had come so far on his own and he needed it now. He had to at least try.
“I get it. I know you don’t have faith in the Charmed Ones, but we have to at least try.”
“There is no spell that can separate an angel from his vessel, Sam. Not with an archangel.”
Sam ran a hand over his face. He knew that Cas was just trying to keep him from getting himself in more trouble, which is what Dean asked of him, but Sam had to figure out how to get his brother back. One way or another. He had all his information lined up, and all that mattered now was getting in the front door.
“Look, I have to at least try, alright? I can’t just leave Dean with Michael. I can’t. And he’s the only one who can help me.”
Castiel sighed. “Let me know if you have any luck.” And with that, he vanished from the room.
Sam took a deep breath, trying to recollect himself and getting himself to focus. He hadn’t called for him in a long time, and he wasn’t sure if this was going to work. But he did what he could. He cleared his mind, took a deep breath, and started to speak.
“Leo, please.” A beat. “I know what I said the last time, and I’m sorry but-I really need your help. I screwed up and now Dean’s in trouble and just … please. Help me.”
There was nothing. No jingles, no sparkling lights, just-nothing. No answer.
So he tried again.
“Leo?” Another beat. “Leo!”
Nothing.
He waited for another minute, before getting up and reaching for his keys. If Leo wasn’t coming to him-he’d go to Leo.
***
The last time Sam saw Leo was the day his brother died.
Sam was distraught. He wanted Leo to fix things that he couldn’t. He wanted him to bring Dean back, even though he knew that it was beyond his power. And when Leo couldn’t deliver, he told him that he never wanted to see him again. If the good magic that Leo believed in so much couldn’t save his brother who was good, then Sam didn’t want to be a part of it. Sam didn’t want anything to do with it.
Leo left, Ruby stayed, and somewhere in between came the Apocalypse.
He knew he had no right arriving on Leo’s front door, so he decided to take a less magical route. He looked him up in the phone book and he called. It had taken him a couple days to drive to San Francisco, but once he was there and had internet access, it didn’t take him long to track down the Halliwells’ number. He sat down in a diner, ordered a cup of coffee, and picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end was female. He took a breath and tried to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible. “Hey, is Leo there?”
“ … Sure. Can I ask who’s calling?”
“Uh, tell him it’s Sam? I’m an old friend.”
“Okay. Hold on a sec … ” There was a beat and a loud “LEO!” coming from somewhere off screen, but a few minutes later, there was a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
“Sam?”
“Hey, Leo.” There was everything he wanted to say, but suddenly he was a loss for words. “I know this is probably-a huge breech of your privacy, and for that I’m sorry, but I tried calling the normal way, and when you weren’t responding-”
“Sam, Sam-slow down.” There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Where are you?”
“San Francisco. A diner downtown.”
“I can be there in a half-hour. Let me just see if I can borrow Piper’s car.”
Sam frowned at the mention of him needing to borrow a car, but he let it go. Considering the favor he was about to ask, he knew that the important thing was Leo getting there, and not the how. “Okay. I’ll be here.”
A half-hour later, Leo was walking into the diner. Sam straightened in the back of the booth, and he made his way over to him with a smile. A smile was the last thing that Sam was expecting after everything he said, but he’d take it. It was a good sign, after all.
“I’m really glad you called, Sam.”
Sam nodded, turning the coffee cup in his hands as spoke. “I know that after everything, you probably don’t want to help me, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“No, it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Dean,” Sam sighed. “He’s in trouble.”
Leo frowned. “I thought Dean was dead.”
At that, Sam frowned. “You don’t know? I thought everyone ‘up there’ would have heard-”
“I-I’m not ‘up there’ anymore,” Leo sighed. “Shortly after Dean died I had to make a choice-my family, or my calling. And I chose Piper.”
“Oh,” Sam nodded slowly. “Okay. Sorry, I shouldn’t have called, then.” He took a breath, before reaching for his wallet. “I should go-”
“No, Sam, wait.” Leo reached forward and caught his arm, trying to keep him from leaving. “Just because I’m not a whitelighter anymore doesn’t mean I can’t help. My wife is still a Charmed One.” Sam hesitated, and Leo smiled. “Please. Just tell me what happened.”
Sam slowly slid back into the seat and took a breath, before nodding. “Okay. So. About four months after Dean died, he got brought back-by an angel named Castiel. That’s when things started getting … crazy.”
Leo exhaled slowly, before nodding. “And then the seals started.”
Sam froze, his head tipping to the side as he did. “You knew about that?”
“Being the vessels for the Apocalypse was your destiny, Sam, it always was. What we were unsure of is whether or not you two would stay on the right paths. That’s why I was sent to guide you.”
“Oh,” Sam sighed. “Guess I screwed up pretty big on that one.”
“What matters now is that you’re trying to fix it. That’s the important thing.” Leo gave him a sympathetic look. “Where’s Dean now?”
“He said yes,” Sam replied. “So he’s with Michael, which I guess is better than me saying yes, but still-not good.”
“So why did you contact me?”
“I was hoping that the sisters might know something about separating angels from their vessels.” Sam replied. “I know it was a long shot, but the Charmed Ones are the strongest good power that I know, aside from the angels, and since the angels are the ones that have him-”
“No, that makes sense,” Leo said with a nod. “But they don’t have that kind of power. And you are dealing with angels, Sam. Their spells weren’t designed to fight against them.”
“But maybe there’s information?” Sam asked. “I mean-their Book of Shadows is supposed to be the most knowledgeable tome there is. There has to be something in there that’ll tell us more than we already know.”
Leo was quiet for a moment, considering the possibilities. “Okay. Let’s go talk to the sisters.”
“Whoa. Wait. Hold on.” Sam looked a little spooked. “I never said anything about talking to the sisters.”
Leo gave him a look. “You really think you’d be able to get a Power of Three spell and get it to work without the Power of Three?”
Sam huffed a laugh, before shaking his head. “I was hoping I could avoid it.”
Leo smirked, before nodding and gesturing for him to move ahead of him. “C’mon. You can follow me back.”
Sam exhaled slowly, trying to keep himself focused. He knew that Castiel was paid to be skeptical in a sense, but this was the only avenue they had left. And he had a whitelighter for a reason. He had rejected Leo’s guidance before but he had come so far on his own and he needed it now. He had to at least try.
“I get it. I know you don’t have faith in the Charmed Ones, but we have to at least try.”
“There is no spell that can separate an angel from his vessel, Sam. Not with an archangel.”
Sam ran a hand over his face. He knew that Cas was just trying to keep him from getting himself in more trouble, which is what Dean asked of him, but Sam had to figure out how to get his brother back. One way or another. He had all his information lined up, and all that mattered now was getting in the front door.
“Look, I have to at least try, alright? I can’t just leave Dean with Michael. I can’t. And he’s the only one who can help me.”
Castiel sighed. “Let me know if you have any luck.” And with that, he vanished from the room.
Sam took a deep breath, trying to recollect himself and getting himself to focus. He hadn’t called for him in a long time, and he wasn’t sure if this was going to work. But he did what he could. He cleared his mind, took a deep breath, and started to speak.
“Leo, please.” A beat. “I know what I said the last time, and I’m sorry but-I really need your help. I screwed up and now Dean’s in trouble and just … please. Help me.”
There was nothing. No jingles, no sparkling lights, just-nothing. No answer.
So he tried again.
“Leo?” Another beat. “Leo!”
Nothing.
He waited for another minute, before getting up and reaching for his keys. If Leo wasn’t coming to him-he’d go to Leo.
***
The last time Sam saw Leo was the day his brother died.
Sam was distraught. He wanted Leo to fix things that he couldn’t. He wanted him to bring Dean back, even though he knew that it was beyond his power. And when Leo couldn’t deliver, he told him that he never wanted to see him again. If the good magic that Leo believed in so much couldn’t save his brother who was good, then Sam didn’t want to be a part of it. Sam didn’t want anything to do with it.
Leo left, Ruby stayed, and somewhere in between came the Apocalypse.
He knew he had no right arriving on Leo’s front door, so he decided to take a less magical route. He looked him up in the phone book and he called. It had taken him a couple days to drive to San Francisco, but once he was there and had internet access, it didn’t take him long to track down the Halliwells’ number. He sat down in a diner, ordered a cup of coffee, and picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end was female. He took a breath and tried to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible. “Hey, is Leo there?”
“ … Sure. Can I ask who’s calling?”
“Uh, tell him it’s Sam? I’m an old friend.”
“Okay. Hold on a sec … ” There was a beat and a loud “LEO!” coming from somewhere off screen, but a few minutes later, there was a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
“Sam?”
“Hey, Leo.” There was everything he wanted to say, but suddenly he was a loss for words. “I know this is probably-a huge breech of your privacy, and for that I’m sorry, but I tried calling the normal way, and when you weren’t responding-”
“Sam, Sam-slow down.” There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Where are you?”
“San Francisco. A diner downtown.”
“I can be there in a half-hour. Let me just see if I can borrow Piper’s car.”
Sam frowned at the mention of him needing to borrow a car, but he let it go. Considering the favor he was about to ask, he knew that the important thing was Leo getting there, and not the how. “Okay. I’ll be here.”
A half-hour later, Leo was walking into the diner. Sam straightened in the back of the booth, and he made his way over to him with a smile. A smile was the last thing that Sam was expecting after everything he said, but he’d take it. It was a good sign, after all.
“I’m really glad you called, Sam.”
Sam nodded, turning the coffee cup in his hands as spoke. “I know that after everything, you probably don’t want to help me, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“No, it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s Dean,” Sam sighed. “He’s in trouble.”
Leo frowned. “I thought Dean was dead.”
At that, Sam frowned. “You don’t know? I thought everyone ‘up there’ would have heard-”
“I-I’m not ‘up there’ anymore,” Leo sighed. “Shortly after Dean died I had to make a choice-my family, or my calling. And I chose Piper.”
“Oh,” Sam nodded slowly. “Okay. Sorry, I shouldn’t have called, then.” He took a breath, before reaching for his wallet. “I should go-”
“No, Sam, wait.” Leo reached forward and caught his arm, trying to keep him from leaving. “Just because I’m not a whitelighter anymore doesn’t mean I can’t help. My wife is still a Charmed One.” Sam hesitated, and Leo smiled. “Please. Just tell me what happened.”
Sam slowly slid back into the seat and took a breath, before nodding. “Okay. So. About four months after Dean died, he got brought back-by an angel named Castiel. That’s when things started getting … crazy.”
Leo exhaled slowly, before nodding. “And then the seals started.”
Sam froze, his head tipping to the side as he did. “You knew about that?”
“Being the vessels for the Apocalypse was your destiny, Sam, it always was. What we were unsure of is whether or not you two would stay on the right paths. That’s why I was sent to guide you.”
“Oh,” Sam sighed. “Guess I screwed up pretty big on that one.”
“What matters now is that you’re trying to fix it. That’s the important thing.” Leo gave him a sympathetic look. “Where’s Dean now?”
“He said yes,” Sam replied. “So he’s with Michael, which I guess is better than me saying yes, but still-not good.”
“So why did you contact me?”
“I was hoping that the sisters might know something about separating angels from their vessels.” Sam replied. “I know it was a long shot, but the Charmed Ones are the strongest good power that I know, aside from the angels, and since the angels are the ones that have him-”
“No, that makes sense,” Leo said with a nod. “But they don’t have that kind of power. And you are dealing with angels, Sam. Their spells weren’t designed to fight against them.”
“But maybe there’s information?” Sam asked. “I mean-their Book of Shadows is supposed to be the most knowledgeable tome there is. There has to be something in there that’ll tell us more than we already know.”
Leo was quiet for a moment, considering the possibilities. “Okay. Let’s go talk to the sisters.”
“Whoa. Wait. Hold on.” Sam looked a little spooked. “I never said anything about talking to the sisters.”
Leo gave him a look. “You really think you’d be able to get a Power of Three spell and get it to work without the Power of Three?”
Sam huffed a laugh, before shaking his head. “I was hoping I could avoid it.”
Leo smirked, before nodding and gesturing for him to move ahead of him. “C’mon. You can follow me back.”