{bela's apartment} In which Bela has some unexpected visitors.
You weren’t supposed to come back from selling your soul.
It was supposed to be final. It was a line you couldn’t cross back again, no matter how hard you tried, and somehow, she had managed to find her way back again. She had been down in the pit for nearly two hundred and forty years and now that she had finally returned to the land of the living, she couldn’t say that she truly wanted to be here. She had become so used to thinking like a demon, reasoning like a demon. Her mind was used to those simple decisions-whether or not it was okay to steal, maim, kill, just to get what you wanted. The demon in her still screamed a sudden and defiant yes to all of the above, but the humanity that had been thrust back into her, the moral compass that most of the time she tried to ignore and some would say she never had, said otherwise. It reminded her of the pain and the guilt, things she never wanted to experience again, and all she had to do was keep herself away from everyone else. There was too much temptation, too many opportunities. She didn’t want to be out there.
She was safer locked away, where no one else could see her.
Besides, the world was too bright, too glaring. She had drawn the curtains, put the lights on dim, anything to keep herself to the darkness that she was accustomed to. Once that was done, she realized that everything was far too dirty, especially herself. Over two centuries of soot and grime, things that she needed to get off her body. She moved quickly to the shower, turning up the water beyond a point that would be tolerable and thrust herself under it, scrubbing at her skin until it was raw and blistered. Two hundred plus years of being torn apart at the seams and the feeling of the water scalding her skin was next to nothing. She let her hands run over her body as she scrubbed, feeling the smoothness of her skin, how there were no scars of the things that were done to her. She remembered, however, every single one, and that only caused her to withdraw onto herself more. She sunk to the tiled floor of the shower, pulling her knees into her chest and staying where she was, nothing else surrounding her but the heat and the hard pound of the shower spray. She would either drown there or boil to death, and she couldn’t really say that she wouldn’t be amendable to either suggestion.
BANG BANG BANG.
Her head came up at the loud knocking on her door. She didn’t know who would bother to be knocking on her door when as far as the rest of the world was concerned, she was dead, but she wasn’t going to leave them standing there. She climbed out of the shower, drying herself off a bit and pulling on a robe before making her way to the door. Standing there, was a blond woman about her height who she recognized immediately as Ruby, and a tall dark-haired man in a trenchcoat.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here for Acathla.”
The man’s voice was low and grating, almost monotone in nature. She glanced to Ruby, almost as though she was looking for some kind of cue, before raising an eyebrow. “And who are you, exactly?”
“My name is Castiel.”
“He’s an angel, Bela. One of the good ones, anyway.”
‘Angel’ didn’t necessarily make her feel any better. The demon part of her brain wanted to lash out on instinct alone, but she didn’t, just swallowing down the bile in the back of her throat and stepping aside to let them in. Ruby didn’t need verbal permission to pass through the wards-she had been here before-and once they were both inside she shut the door behind them. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she gestured over to where the statue was sitting.
“Knock yourself out.”
“I hope not,” he responded quickly, but before she could question him on it, he was gone, as was the statue, almost as though it had never been there. She blinked, startled at first, before turning her attention on the person who was still in the room. Ruby watched her back for a moment, before matching Bela’s posture and moving closer.
“Well. Aren’t you a lucky duck,” she said with a sigh, watching Bela carefully as she circled her. “Fresh out of Hell and human to boot.”
Bela raised an eyebrow at her, eyes watching her closely as Ruby moved through the room. “Human is a relative term.”
“Breathing, heart beating, in your own meat-I’d say that’s pretty much the definition of human.”
Her eyes narrowed at the demon, not really in the mood for word games or semantics. “Did you want something, or are you just here to stare at me like some kind of side show entertainment?” As far as she was concerned, that was what she was. The freak show girl that was more damaged than any human being deserved to be, regardless of how they acted when they were alive.
Ruby smirked a bit, before stopping in front of Bela with a look. “The boys wanted me to make sure you were the real deal. Not some impersonator trying to pass herself off as you just so that they didn’t get their ass kicked by one of the Slayers.”
“Well?” Bela gestured to herself. “Satisfied?”
“Sure. Guess so.” The blond was quiet for a moment, before responding. “Look, we’ve got this safe house, in LA. I understand that fresh out of Hell isn’t exactly a reason for you to want to be around people, but it’d be safer there than it would be here. Lucifer being out and all.”
Bela’s jaw set slightly, eyes narrowing at the implication that she’d be safer somewhere other than her own home. “Where do you think I’d be safer? With the Winchesters?” That last word had a fair amount of venom on it. If there was anywhere she didn’t want to be, it was anywhere near Dean Winchester. “I think I will take my chances on my own.”
“Fine,” Ruby sighed. “Your funeral. Enjoy that trip back to Hell.” She turned on her heel to head back out the door again, and Bela just wrapped her arms around herself more and waited for the demon to leave. Ruby made it half-way to the door, before turning around to face her again. “Oh, and by the way? You can’t ward against Lucifer. And I’d bet cash money he’ll be coming right for you.”
“I can take care of myself,” she replied quietly. “Even against the Devil.”
“Whatever.” Ruby stalked out the door, closing it loudly, and it was only a moment or two before the apartment actually felt quiet again. The information sorted through her head, filing away until she found the proper place for it, and then let her eyes wander around the room. Nothing, at all about her apartment was clean.
She had so much work to do.
It was supposed to be final. It was a line you couldn’t cross back again, no matter how hard you tried, and somehow, she had managed to find her way back again. She had been down in the pit for nearly two hundred and forty years and now that she had finally returned to the land of the living, she couldn’t say that she truly wanted to be here. She had become so used to thinking like a demon, reasoning like a demon. Her mind was used to those simple decisions-whether or not it was okay to steal, maim, kill, just to get what you wanted. The demon in her still screamed a sudden and defiant yes to all of the above, but the humanity that had been thrust back into her, the moral compass that most of the time she tried to ignore and some would say she never had, said otherwise. It reminded her of the pain and the guilt, things she never wanted to experience again, and all she had to do was keep herself away from everyone else. There was too much temptation, too many opportunities. She didn’t want to be out there.
She was safer locked away, where no one else could see her.
Besides, the world was too bright, too glaring. She had drawn the curtains, put the lights on dim, anything to keep herself to the darkness that she was accustomed to. Once that was done, she realized that everything was far too dirty, especially herself. Over two centuries of soot and grime, things that she needed to get off her body. She moved quickly to the shower, turning up the water beyond a point that would be tolerable and thrust herself under it, scrubbing at her skin until it was raw and blistered. Two hundred plus years of being torn apart at the seams and the feeling of the water scalding her skin was next to nothing. She let her hands run over her body as she scrubbed, feeling the smoothness of her skin, how there were no scars of the things that were done to her. She remembered, however, every single one, and that only caused her to withdraw onto herself more. She sunk to the tiled floor of the shower, pulling her knees into her chest and staying where she was, nothing else surrounding her but the heat and the hard pound of the shower spray. She would either drown there or boil to death, and she couldn’t really say that she wouldn’t be amendable to either suggestion.
BANG BANG BANG.
Her head came up at the loud knocking on her door. She didn’t know who would bother to be knocking on her door when as far as the rest of the world was concerned, she was dead, but she wasn’t going to leave them standing there. She climbed out of the shower, drying herself off a bit and pulling on a robe before making her way to the door. Standing there, was a blond woman about her height who she recognized immediately as Ruby, and a tall dark-haired man in a trenchcoat.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here for Acathla.”
The man’s voice was low and grating, almost monotone in nature. She glanced to Ruby, almost as though she was looking for some kind of cue, before raising an eyebrow. “And who are you, exactly?”
“My name is Castiel.”
“He’s an angel, Bela. One of the good ones, anyway.”
‘Angel’ didn’t necessarily make her feel any better. The demon part of her brain wanted to lash out on instinct alone, but she didn’t, just swallowing down the bile in the back of her throat and stepping aside to let them in. Ruby didn’t need verbal permission to pass through the wards-she had been here before-and once they were both inside she shut the door behind them. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she gestured over to where the statue was sitting.
“Knock yourself out.”
“I hope not,” he responded quickly, but before she could question him on it, he was gone, as was the statue, almost as though it had never been there. She blinked, startled at first, before turning her attention on the person who was still in the room. Ruby watched her back for a moment, before matching Bela’s posture and moving closer.
“Well. Aren’t you a lucky duck,” she said with a sigh, watching Bela carefully as she circled her. “Fresh out of Hell and human to boot.”
Bela raised an eyebrow at her, eyes watching her closely as Ruby moved through the room. “Human is a relative term.”
“Breathing, heart beating, in your own meat-I’d say that’s pretty much the definition of human.”
Her eyes narrowed at the demon, not really in the mood for word games or semantics. “Did you want something, or are you just here to stare at me like some kind of side show entertainment?” As far as she was concerned, that was what she was. The freak show girl that was more damaged than any human being deserved to be, regardless of how they acted when they were alive.
Ruby smirked a bit, before stopping in front of Bela with a look. “The boys wanted me to make sure you were the real deal. Not some impersonator trying to pass herself off as you just so that they didn’t get their ass kicked by one of the Slayers.”
“Well?” Bela gestured to herself. “Satisfied?”
“Sure. Guess so.” The blond was quiet for a moment, before responding. “Look, we’ve got this safe house, in LA. I understand that fresh out of Hell isn’t exactly a reason for you to want to be around people, but it’d be safer there than it would be here. Lucifer being out and all.”
Bela’s jaw set slightly, eyes narrowing at the implication that she’d be safer somewhere other than her own home. “Where do you think I’d be safer? With the Winchesters?” That last word had a fair amount of venom on it. If there was anywhere she didn’t want to be, it was anywhere near Dean Winchester. “I think I will take my chances on my own.”
“Fine,” Ruby sighed. “Your funeral. Enjoy that trip back to Hell.” She turned on her heel to head back out the door again, and Bela just wrapped her arms around herself more and waited for the demon to leave. Ruby made it half-way to the door, before turning around to face her again. “Oh, and by the way? You can’t ward against Lucifer. And I’d bet cash money he’ll be coming right for you.”
“I can take care of myself,” she replied quietly. “Even against the Devil.”
“Whatever.” Ruby stalked out the door, closing it loudly, and it was only a moment or two before the apartment actually felt quiet again. The information sorted through her head, filing away until she found the proper place for it, and then let her eyes wander around the room. Nothing, at all about her apartment was clean.
She had so much work to do.