Requiem for Snow
Title: Requiem for Snow
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: None
Warnings: Violence
Word Count: 8268
Summary: This story follows canon up to Changing Channels - sort of. The January before he went to Hell, Dean and his brother Sam faced the Last Calusa in Key West, Florida. At that time, they knew nothing of the impending Apocalypse, of Lilith's plan for the two of them - but one seemingly unimportant event during that hunt set their destiny on a new path - a path that would not catch up with them until after Lucifer had been freed from his cage.
Summary (This Chapter): In the aftermath of the failed attempt to raise Famine, Sam and Dean discuss the possible origins of Heather Kittredge - but it's Castiel who has most of the needed answers. Three Muses catch a demon - and have a few words with him.
Notes: This is a modified version of the original chapters of this story. Certain events have changed. This story also uses events in the books Bone Key and Heart of the Dragon - both by Keith RA DeCandido.
Neither of the Winchester brothers liked hospitals. They were there at the insistence of the Dubois County Sheriff Department and since keeping a low profile was at the top of their list, the brothers had agreed. Right now the two of them were sitting in the hallway, waiting for the officer who wanted to get statements from them to finish talking with the Kittredge girl.
“This is nuts, you know that.” Dean said, folding his arms and watching a nurse head into the room carrying a bag of blood for a transfusion. “Then again, this could be what freaked Cas out.”
“Dad didn't tell us about Adam...”
“True, but dad didn't usually make the same mistake twice...” He turned as he heard a couple go up to the desk, both of them looking as if they'd run all the way to the hospital. “I believe the Kittredges have arrived. The Matherstones got here right before that poor girl went in to have her stomach pumped.”
“I guess the other one is lucky she threw up.” Sam shook his head as the couple came up to them and went into the room. He noticed that the woman did a double take when she saw the two of them but recovered quickly. “Either she knows who we are or is just as shocked as we are.”
“I'm going with the later.” Dean said as the officer came out of the room.
“Now you two were just in the neighborhood?” He looked from one of them to the other.
They stood up. “That's right.” Sam replied. “We took a wrong turn trying to get back to our hotel... heard some screaming - so we ran in to check it out.”
“Damn good thing you did.” He looked down at his notebook. “You think of crazy shit like this happening elsewhere, not in towns like this.” He shook his head. “Those poor girls... Nicholas Babcock is a respected member of this community. The good news I suppose is that he's not denying he did it - not that there's any other explanation.” He tucked his notebook back into his pocket. “I appreciate the two of you coming down here with us. Makes things easier for everyone.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Dean nodded towards Heather's room. “Physically, at least?”
“I can't tell you that.” He looked the two of them over again. “I have to go meet with the coroner. Thank you again for your cooperation.” He turned and went down the hallway.
“We should head back.”
“Right.” Sam replied and they started up the corridor. “You think the demon will be back for these two?”
“No - I'd say their window of opportunity slammed shut whenever that girl back there puked her guts out.” They went out into the parking lot. “This makes no sense... I mean, we don't have any aunts, uncles or cousins who are alive...we don't even have second cousins...”
“So it's just a wild coincidence that you and Heather Kittredge look alike.”
“No, it's something... we'll just have to find out what it is... I didn't even have a girlfriend around that time, so the only conclusion is that dad did make the same mistake twice. Only this time, the woman in question put the kid up for adoption instead of raising her herself.”
“I don't think that's the case here, Dean and the only reason I say that is because you look like mom. Maybe she had a cousin or something and we never knew about them. I can't think of another plausible reason.” Sam let out a breath.
“You're the college guy, if anyone would know, it'd be you.” He unlocked the Impala and got in.
Sam shook his head as he got in on his side. “Okay, so we go back to the hotel and we start finding out where she came from. Because I hate to say this, but if the demon who did this puts two and two together, it's a fair bet that more demons will come after her.”
*
Heather didn't want to have to repeat the story again. She'd had a strange dream about a funny looking man telling her to wake up. She'd woken up, gotten sick and came out to find something wrong with Mr. Babcock. She seriously doubted anyone believed her when she said black smoke poured out of his mouth and shot out the window above her head. She didn't even know how a fishbowl full of saltwater could to that to a person. She rubbed her nose and glanced at the half empty bag that was attached to her wrist. “I want to go home.” She didn't want to whine, but at the moment, it was hard not to.
“I know baby.” Her mom brushed her hair out of her face. “But the doctors just want to keep you here overnight and you can come home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Is Beth going to be okay?”
“She should be fine.” Sarah Kittredge smiled encouragingly. “So are you.”
“Are you and dad going to stay here?”
“Of course we are. Your dad just went to go get coffee. You should get some rest.”
“I'm scared... what if he comes back?”
“Mr. Babcock is in custody, honey - he can't hurt you anymore.”
“What about the thing that was in him? What if he gets into someone else?”
“There's no such thing as black smoke monsters except on Lost. You must have imagined it.”
“Momma...” She swallowed. “I know what I saw.”
“There are enough people awake here at the hospital that if a smoke monster got in here, it would be noticed.” Sarah replied, her voice full of parental assurance.
Heather knew that tone - it was the same one her mom had used when she was six and her cousin Peter had told her Santa Claus wasn't real. “I guess.” She snuggled back into the pillows the best she could, wincing at the pain in her arm. “How many of these do I have to have?”
“Just this one, I believe.” She leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. “Now what did your daddy and I always tell you when you woke up from a nightmare?”
“That there was nothing to be afraid of.” She opened her eyes again. “And that angels were watching over me.”
“That's right, Heather Grace.” She smiled. “Get some rest... you'll feel better after you've rested.”
“What about those two guys who broke into the house? Who are they?”
“Two good Samaritans - who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Most people who heard a scream wouldn't have bothered.” She stood up. “I'm going to go talk to the doctor, you just try and get some sleep.” She kissed her daughter's forehead as she shut her eyes. “Things will be better in the morning.”
*
Down the hall, Beth was feeling worse than Heather. Having her stomach pumped had parked itself at the worst thing she'd ever had done, she wagered the only thing that could be worse was to have a double root canal - but even then, that might not be as bad. The faint taste of plastic, vomit and her dinner of cider, turkey and potatoes was stuck in her mouth. Her memory of the past few hours was very muddled.
She could remember downing the rest of the glass of cider and the room starting to tilt slightly. She was about to ask Molly if her mom had accidentally spiked the beverage with some kind of booze when she saw her friend slump over on her bed, immobile. Lila was already out cold. Heather, who had only drunk half of her glass looking at her before her eyes rolled back in her head and she too, fell over.
Beth's next clear memory was getting up from her sleeping bag and picking up the fish bowl. Why that particular thing and not the hockey stick that had been perched next to the desk, she didn't know. The glass shattered and she did remember seeing something come out of Mr. Babcock - but after that, she had no memory until she puked here at the hospital.
She'd seen the Ungashicks being led past her room, down the corridor that she knew led to where her father worked - the morgue. That meant one thing: Lila was dead. She had no idea what had happened to Molly - her mom had told her that Heather was down the hall recovering as well. Why they weren't keeping the two of them together... she blinked once or twice, still dizzy from the drugs she'd consumed.
“You should get some rest, Bethy.” Her dad was sitting next to the bed, holding her hand. “There's nothing to be scared of.”
“Where's Molly?”
“I don't know, sweetie.” He lied to her, knowing full well that Molly Babcock was lying on a metal slab, waiting to be claimed by some remaining relative.
“Was she hurt?”
“Don't worry about that, just worry about yourself.” Her mom said from her right. “You just need to rest. Hopefully, the doctors will let you come home tomorrow... but as it is, they think it will most likely be Sunday.”
“I can't miss services.” She replied stubbornly. “It's important for me to go...”
“I think the rabbi will understand your absence.” Mr. Matherstone replied, rubbing her hand with his thumb.
Beth was to tired to cover her mouth as she yawned. “But...”
“Ssh... get some sleep.” He stood up as his daughter closed her eyes. “Looks like Josh found the most comfortable chair in the room.”
“I don't feel like sleeping.” Mrs. Matherstone managed a brave smile. “I could use some coffee, I think.”
“I'll be back shortly.” He left the room, trying to avoid the other doctor's eyes. It was both a blessing and a curse to live in a town where everyone knew everyone else - at least he could count on the hospital security to keep the press out of this place. That was the last thing any of the families involved needed. He also silently gave thanks to the two strangers who had been in the neighborhood and had heard the scream that had probably saved his daughter's life.
*
Dean had called Cas as soon as they had gotten back to the hotel. The angel arrived before he could even hang up the phone. He wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling at this point, it was anger, frustration and confusion all rolled up into one. The only thing that he couldn't believe was that his father, John Winchester, could make the same error twice - and hadn't bothered to tell his sons about it. Of course, had their father not known, that was somewhat forgivable. The entries in his journal for January of nineteen ninety-six only talked about his and Dean's birthdays and Dean's first solo hunt. He was about to start asking Castiel what he knew about it when the angel spoke.
“You were wrong about never meeting a Muse, Dean.” He sat calmly down at the table, glancing sideways at Sam, who had started looking through hospital records.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Dean replied.
“Other than angels, Muses are the only creatures who can travel through time.”
“When the hell did I meet a Muse? Apart from Lolly or Polly or whatever her name was... and what does she have to do with Heather Kittredge? Did our dad meet a muse too and the girl's the result?”
Sam looked from one to the other, frowning. “Uh, Dean?”
“What?”
“If a Muse can travel through time, I don't think that what we were doing at the time the girl was born becomes an issue.”
“Your brother is right, Dean.” Castiel looked up at him. “Heather Kittredge is not the daughter of John Winchester. If you wish to speak biologically, she is his granddaughter.”
“That's... that's not possible.”
“Wait a minute...” Sam cleared his throat. “Dean, it makes sense now...”
“What makes sense?” He backed away from the table. “That's just wrong, Cas... if... how could you not know about this?”
“I'm not omnipotent... the Muse, in this case I can assume we are talking about Melpomene, went to a great length of trouble to hide the child the best she could. She knew what was after you and your family.”
“That would explain why she wanted to kill Lilith..” Sam added.
“Muses rarely become attached to any one human at a time.” Castiel looked from one brother to the other. “The fact that one came close to you at all is in itself a rarity.”
Dean sat down on the corner of the bed and ran his hands through his short hair. “You said I'd remember if I met a Muse, so why the hell can't I remember her?”
“That I can not tell you.” He frowned. “I believe Melpomene did not seek you out later and inform you of what had happened was because she believed you would remain in Hell and did not wish for you to go there with that knowledge.”
“But couldn't she have gone further in time to like say, a week ago Tuesday and told me?”
“No. That would serve no purpose and she could not have told you at the time of the girl's birth because you were seventeen at the time.”
“That's creepy...” He leaned against his legs, thinking. “So why isn't the girl with her mother?”
“Another rule handed down upon the Muses... they were allowed to remain on Earth - but if they were to...have relations with a man, if a child resulted of such relations, said child could not remain with their mother - or with their father.”
“That's horrible.” Sam replied. “So they couldn't leave the baby with the father's family?”
“No... although the father of the child, upon learning of the existence, can become part of the child's life... once they reach a certain age.”
“And that age would be?”
“Seven for a boy, thirteen for a girl.” He replied. “The ages were agreed upon as part of Spartan law. At seven boys were turned out their homes and sent to the army. Girls, at thirteen, were married at that age. Usually to men twice their age.”
“Ew.” Dean replied. “That's just wrong.”
“Considering what the life expectancy was back then, it's not to hard to fathom.” Sam said. “If a person lived to forty, they were old.” He frowned. “I'm also guessing that the demons probably could tell that Heather was related to us... I mean, just on appearance or something...”
“Scent.”
“What?” The brothers said at the same time.
“The demons would be able to tell she is related to you purely by her scent.”
“That's right...” Dean said, thinking back to the time when Cas had sent him to nineteen seventy three and he had encountered Azazel. “So...” He cursed under his breath. “Somehow, I don't think the Kittredges are going to believe us if we told them they were in danger from the powers of Hell.”
“There is no place on Earth for them to hide if Lucifer sends his minions after them.” The angel's voice was solemn.
“But Heather's half... whatever you want to call it, demigod or what have you... doesn't that mean she'd have some kind of, I don't know, weird psychic ability like that Jesse kid?”
“No Dean, she does not. She is as human as you are.” He flicked his gaze towards Sam. “Although she might have a more developed sixth sense than most people.”
“If that's the case, why couldn't she tell the Babcocks were possessed?”
“I said might, Dean - it is not an absolute. Even if she does, she herself is not fully aware of it.”
“So now what do we do?” Sam broke in. “I mean, we can't just leave her here unprotected...”
“What do you suggest, Sammy? Convince her parents that demons are after her and we need to take her somewhere safe? I don't think she, her parents or Bobby would like to have the girl locked up in the panic room in Bobby's basement.”
“I don't know...I just know that any pretense of safety is pretty much gone.” He shook his head. “You have any ideas, Cas?”
“No.” He closed looked from one to the other. “I can try and contact one of the nine and see if they can offer any suggestions, although it would violate the rules.”
“These rules you keep mentioning... what happens to the Muses if they break them?”
“They are punished.” He gave the tiniest hint of a wince. “I do not know the exact details involved in the punishment... but it would be on par with the same torture that Alastair inflicted upon souls in Hell.”
Dean swallowed hard at that. He knew all to well what that was like. “Who?” He didn't finish, the look on Castiel's face was answer enough. “Are you telling me that angels would do that to them?”
“Yes.”
“That's just...” He shook his head.
“I need to find the third member of Melpomene and Polyhymnia's group.... I can only deduce that it is Terpsichore.”
“The Muses travel in threes?”
“Not exactly travel... as they number nine, they stay in communication in three groups of three.” He thought for a moment. “One Muse will always know the location of three others, but never all of them. Two them in the same group and another in a different group.”
“So if they all needed to get together, they'd have a way to contact each other... right?” Sam asked.
“Yes.” Castiel stood up. “There should be no danger for the Kittredges tonight. I will return in the morning.” Before either of the brothers could say anything, he was gone.
“I don't believe this.” Dean said, rubbing his eyes. “This is just...” He shook his head and let out a deep breath. “Of all the...”
“You want me to keep looking through records?”
“Is there any need to? Cas wouldn't have made that story up.” He fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I don't know if I should be pissed or what...”
“I don't think there's a right emotion for this kind of thing... I mean...” He shut his laptop, checked the locks on the door, as well as the salt lines - shut off the lights and went over to the other bed. “It's not like when we found that ghoul was pretending to be Adam.”
“What if we had checked the Babcock house first instead of last?”
Sam recognized the tone in his brother's voice. It was the same one he had whenever he talked about the times he'd failed to do something. “Dean...”
“No, Sam. Don't start with the 'we didn't know' crap. This is something we should have been told... just like dad should have told us about Adam. If he'd have told us, Adam might still be alive.”
“Or he could have died a more brutal death.” Sam unlaced his boots. “I mean, hell - Heather's been hidden from a string of demons who would have killed her in a heartbeat.”
Dean kicked off his own boots. “I know that Sammy... but somehow this just adds a whole new level to this war... and raises the stakes even higher.”
“Maybe Ellen and Jo can help us on this.”
“How?”
“It's just a thought - maybe they'd seem easier to trust than the two of us?”
“Oh yeah, that will be a fun one to explain to Ellen... hell, it'd be a cake walk telling Bobby next to her.”
“Go to sleep, Dean. It's late.” Sam pulled the pillow under his chin and shut his eyes. “ We'll figure something out in the morning.”
“Whatever, Sammy...” He replied, his voice muffled by a pillow.
*
The demon flew faster, faster, his mind reeling from the unexpected dowsing in salt water and the fear of his failure. He'd be cast back into the deepest pits of Hell, he'd never see the light of the sun or moon again. He was disgusted at his own weakness at being unable to handle what should have been a simple task. He should have taken up the suggestion of his companion for her to stay. It would take a whole year before they could attempt to raise Famine again.
He had failed.
Racing through the bare trees and watching animals race away from his path, he knew he couldn't hide forever - he would have to eventually own up to his disgrace. But for now, he had to hide, hide from Lucifer, hide from the Winchesters - who had told them to show up in town? Nothing made sense. He roared around a cypress tree and then found himself caught.
A gossamer fine net kept him from moving forward or backward - or any direction at all. A bloody net was holding him at bay. How was such a thing possible? He tried stretching out one direction and found his form changing. Birds took to the sky in a huge swarm as he let out a roar, and his form - his true demon form came forth - and he was still bound tightly in a net that was the color of gold and burned against his bared flesh like hell fire.
A hand clamped down on his mouth, completely unafraid by his form in any way. Pain ripped through his body as if he was being flayed alive, both from the net and the hand on him. The net shimmered in the darkness, fueled by a fire from within. The fine strands were made of iron cast in bronze, unbreakable and able to hold a demon in it's true form. He couldn't imagine being caught in anything worse, except perhaps a pool full of salt water with a devil's trap painted on the bottom.
There was a flash of light above his head and he could see a person in shadow holding a torch. It was a woman with black hair and after catching a brief flash of brown in her gaze, he watched her eyes, whites and all, turn an absolutely blazing shade of cerulean. He shifted his gaze to the person who had covered his mouth and saw another woman, this one a blond, but with the same eyes. “If it isn't Surgat.”
His eyes widened in shock and recognition.
Melpomene looked over at her sister and then back to the demon. “Oh did you pick the wrong human to go and attack.”
Surgat managed to get other hand free just enough to grab the hand that covered his mouth and pull it down. “This is not allowed... you weren't attacked...”
“Oh but we were.” Terpsichore replied as she adjusted her grip on the torch, casting the light enough so that the demon could see Polyhymnia perched just above them, holding the net closed.
“You just tried to kill the wrong human.” Melpomene said, leaning over and blinked - her eyes going back to normal. The same eyes Surgat had seen not two hours earlier - in the face of Heather Kittredge.
**
The room was in shadows, the even band of light from the hallway shone on the two adults, leaning against each other as they slept in the uncomfortable chairs. The man snores were soft and even and were in almost perfect sync as his wife's breathing. The taller man looked at the couple, a sad smile on his face. They had come here to Jasper to try and escape the troubles that were plaguing the family. The troubles found them - and were going to start multiplying rapidly. He shook his head and turned to the figure sleeping in the bed.
Even if Cori hadn't told him, one look was all Gabriel would have needed. Doing his best to look like the doctor he was masquerading as, he picked up Heather's uninjured wrist and then looked at his watch. He waited until the doctor who was coming down the hall passed the room and then he dropped the girl's wrist and pressed his fingertips against her collarbone.
The girl's body winced in reply, as he knew it would. It was a necessary precaution and because he wasn't a total asshole. He knew that as soon as Zachariah learned of the girl, he'd be after her to blackmail Dean Winchester. Yes, this war was insanely ugly and he wanted it to be over. But if there was one thing he did not want to see, it was an angel possessed thirteen year old girl going after Lucifer.
He knew that Castiel would recognize the Enochian symbols as his handiwork. He didn't care - and who knew, maybe the girl could finally talk some sense into his brother. He turned and left the room, narrowly avoiding a reaper who was racing down the hallway towards the ICU.
*
Dean was dreaming of Key West again. Not of the Last Calusa, thankfully - but of what happened afterwards. He was standing in Captain Tony's, scanning the crowd. It wasn't nearly as busy as the last time he'd been there - even though the band Grand Skim Latte was playing again. Right now, they were doing a cover of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl.' Most everyone there seemed to be with someone - until he caught sight of a woman, a little younger than him, leaning against the bar. As he approached he watched her throw back a shot of whiskey without flinching. Damn. “Hey.” This was what he called a stroke of amazing luck. Not only was this woman the best looking girl in the place, she was alone. The dark washed jeans she was wearing left very little to the imagination of the lower part of her body and the red T-shirt she was wearing advertised some band he'd never heard of called 'Cowboy Mouth.'
She turned and looked him over. “Hey yourself.”
“You want another one?” The bartender nodded at the shot.
“Yeah.”
“What can I get you?” He said to Dean.
“I'll have one of what she's having.”
“Sure.” He refilled the woman's glass and added a second shot glass for him.
“I'm Dean.” He said to the woman as she tossed back the second shot.
She smiled as she set the glass down, wrong side up. She pushed her honey-blond hair out of her face, smiling and revealing that her eyes were a bright shade of blue. “Nice to meet you Dean. My name's Penny.”
In the quiet hotel room in Indiana, Dean sat straight up, breathing hard. Now he remembered - the woman from Key West who'd he woke up next to the night after he, Sam and Bobby had defeated the Last Calusa. The woman who's name he couldn't remember at the time - and she hadn't remembered his.
Or pretended not to...
“Damn it all...” He fell back, covering his face with his hands. In the stillness of the night and in the corners of his mind he could hear Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' echoing in the memory of the events that happened in Key West.
***
“You had everything you needed...” Lucifer glared down at the female demon who'd been possessing Alice Babcock and was now inhabiting the body of a runaway teenager. “You practically had this whole thing on a plate...” He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back to stare into her eyes. “You and Surgat said you could handle this..”
“I'm...”
“Silence! I don't want any excuses or apologies from you.” He snarled and flung her against the floor. Blood spilled from the corners of her mouth and she tried to discreetly spit out a tooth. “You could have gone down that hallway and possessed the last girl to make sure it got done!” He kicked her in the stomach, hard. He could hear the trapped human soul screaming in agony. “It's to late to make amends... there's no way to find four more girls before the full moon.”
“Please...” The demon hacked once, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Please...”
“And since Samuel Winchester is with his brother, I can't get at him either...” He glared down at her. “Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your worthless existence and not send you into the Great Oblivion.”
At this, the demon slowly raised her head and licked her lips. “I have one...”
“And that is?”
“The third girl...”
“What about her?” Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
“She smells, my lord.”
“All humans smell... the one you're wearing smells particularly nasty... I should have you bathe before I destroy you.”
“But that girl...” She felt the corners of her mouth involuntarily rise as she spoke. “Smells like a Winchester.”
The fallen angel's expression changed from rage to surprise. He crouched down and lifted the demon's chin, staring into her eyes. “So there's another one, is there?”
“It would seem... she smells the way they do.”
“Well then...” He stood up, smiling. “You may have a chance to get back on my good side.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“What's this girl's name again?”
“Heather Kittredge, my lord.”
“I want you to return to Jasper... possess the girl's mother... and bring the girl here. It doesn't matter what her relationship to the brothers is... we can count on Dean Winchester's desire to keep his family safe to help us. They will come to her rescue and then Samuel will find himself in between a rock and a hard place.” He smiled. “And then I can get out of this body and into my proper vessel.”
“Yes, my lord.” She swallowed. “What about Mr. Kittredge?”
“Azazel's curse on the families connected to those who failed will get him soon enough.”
**
Dean woke up on Saturday morning, and after retrieving coffee for him and Sam from the free breakfast offered by the hotel, he started flipping through the back section of his father's journal. This was the area where John had put things that were hoaxes, scams and completely random information. Whereas just reading the regular part of the book would convince you that the man had issues, the back of the book merely confirmed it. There was even a few articles about the curses on Major League Baseball teams and a few notes on possible theories on the New York Yankees and their multiple World Series wins. He didn't know what he was looking for, exactly - only that he was thinking that someway, somehow his father had seen something, heard something...
Exactly how many times had the Winchester family come to Indiana in the past thirteen years? He knew he'd been here at least three times in the past two years. It was probably a good thing that Cas had told him that Muses couldn't be killed - because he had the urge to hunt down Melpomene and at least smack her across the face, or something.
Yeah, right - she didn't tell you because she couldn't tell you - and Lisa Braden was probably lying to you.
“Damn it...” He'd done his best to shut Lisa and her son Ben out of his mind. He didn't want that kind of weight on his shoulders too. At the time he'd just accepted her story that he wasn't Ben's father. But now that he stopped and thought about it, the other man story seemed just a little to - convenient. Are you only pissed because you find out you actually have a kid and it's a girl? He was about to slam the journal shut and get some coffee when he caught sight of a small clipping that had been hidden, tucked behind a postcard from Roswell, New Mexico. The date in the corner was September 24, 1996. It was the date that made him pause because of it's closeness to Heather's birthday. He unfolded the small clipping and read the headline: Newborn Infant Found in Local Fire Station. “Damn.” He scanned it not really paying attention to most of it. He knew that in some states, a baby could be left at a hospital or a fire station no questions asked. He just didn't think it was actually done. Apart from that man in Nebraska who'd taken advantage of the 'any child' rule and left all of his kids at a local hospital - the oldest had almost been eighteen years old. The baby in this case had been a girl found on Sunday morning. It was that when he noticed that his father had underlined something and had a note on the blank space from where it'd been cut. In his father's very messy handwriting he could read: Try and look this girl up in six months. He looked at the underlined portion - it was the address of the fire station where the baby had been found: 12479 Winchester Road, Lexington, Kentucky.
“Oh you got to be kidding me...”
“What?” Sam said groggily as sat up.
“This.” He said, setting the piece of paper on the table and took a big swig of coffee. “Either this is a wild coincidence or it's something else...”
“Let me see...” Sam came over to the table and picked up the article. After reading it, he sat down. “That... is scary.” He pulled the second cup of coffee towards him and took a swig. “Where were we in March of ninety-seven?”
“California, I think...” He shook his head. “I know we were in Indiana in November...”
“Wait... I remember that it was only supposed to be what, two weeks and it turned into a month?”
“Yeah...” He took a sip of coffee. “You think that this..” He tapped the article once. “Is what he was doing the other two?”
“I don't know... I mean... and why would dad go looking in the first place?” Sam pulled the journal over and opened it up to the back. “Dad have anything on Muses in here?”
“You think if he ever met one he'd have told us. Maybe then we'd know what to look out for.”
“Dean...” He shook his head. “I don't see what you're so pissed about. I mean hell, until last night, Heather Kittredge had the life we always wanted...a home, a family and apple pie...”
“...and that just came crashing down around her and Beth Matherstone. Tell me something Sam... how in the world are Stephen and Sarah Kittredge supposed to keep their daughter safe from demons?”
“Would you care this much if she wasn't...” He tried to find the best way to phrase it and failed. “Okay, if she wasn't related to us, would you still care this much?”
“She's a kid, Sammy.” He took a long sip of coffee, his mind starting to go into overdrive. “Melpomene went to a great deal of trouble to hide her once... what do we do when the demons... what do we do when Lucifer finds out about this?”
“What are you suggesting, Dean? Kidnapping her?”
“You can bet that will be at the top of his list when he finds out... and don't even tell me that Zachariah won't be after her too. Given what we know about them, they probably won't give a damn if she lives or dies.”
“And you do.” Sam was trying to get Dean to admit what he was feeling - because honestly, it was about time he did.
“Of course I care! That's what we do, we save innocent people, I'd say she qualifies!”
“So even if she wasn't...oh hell, I may as well say it - if Heather wasn't your biological daughter, you'd still care this much?”
“If she wasn't related to us, she'd not be in this much danger!”
“That's not answering the question.”
“Yes, it is. She's in trouble the same way all of mom's friends were in trouble - the way all those people around us died. So now we have a chance to do something about it and...”
“Dean...” He set a hand on his brother's shoulder. “We'll figure something out. We might have to resort to kidnapping or....” He shrugged. “I don't know... convince her to runaway from home.”
“Why would she runaway from home?”
“If she thinks demons are after her and wants to keep her parents safe?” He pulled his laptop towards him and turned it on. “I think we should tell Bobby what's going on.”
“I'll do it.” He picked up his cell and scanned through the numbers, checking the time before hitting the dial, as Jasper was an hour ahead of Sioux Falls. “He hasn't a good excuse to chew me out for something in a few weeks, this should get him through Christmas.”
*
Castiel stood outside the large abandoned barn that looked as if one strong breeze would cause it to collapse. If there was a middle of nowhere in Indiana, this was it. At one time, it had been located in the middle of a barn yard that had stood next to a huge farm that had grown sorghum and soybeans. Now all traces of the farm, save this barn, were gone. Trees had encroached upon the land, hiding it from view. He followed the thin trail of the demon into these woods when it had been cut off by three stronger trails - that he knew had been deliberately.
There were Enochian wards carved into the eastern and western walls - and wards to dispel demons north and south. It was apparent that whatever the three in the barn were up to, they did not want to be surprised. Standing in front of the entrance he looked down at the ground for a rock to throw against the door, as the glowing wards prevented him from knocking. As he picked up a stone the size of his fist and prepared to hurl it forward, he stopped short.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find us.”
“Melpomene.” He said flatly to the woman standing in the open doorway.
“If you wish to come in, you may come in.” She backed up a few steps, allowing him entry.
He dropped the rock before he moved forward and he paused when he stood level with her. “When did you and Dean Winchester meet?”
“That was a lovely euphemism, Castiel.” She motioned with her fingers and the doors shut behind them. “And the answer to your question is two years ago this January.”
“Key West.”
“Very good... and I'm afraid all details about the rest of it aren't fit for your ears... furthermore, a lady never kisses and tells. I doubt you'd get any details out of him either.” She turned on her heel and went under a large beam into the middle part of the barn. “Sisters, we have company.”
Castiel followed her and saw the devil's trap painted on the ceiling. In the center of the trap was a demon pinned down by a large net. He swallowed hard at the bindings on the creature - hoping they were secure. He had seen this monster during the siege in Hell. Surgat - one of the many generals at Lucifer's command. It was rumored that he and Alistair were brothers, true brothers, but that had never been proven and no one really wanted to do that kind of research. “Is this who was in Nicholas Babcock.”
“The one and only.” Polyhymnia said from her stance on the second level of the barn, looking down at him, her hands on her hips. “Unfortunately, he doesn't feel much like talking...”
“Go to Hell, bitch.” Surgat muttered from his binding.
“Can't we just kill him? Please?” A voice said from behind Castiel and he turned and saw the third sister, Terpsichore, leaning against a beam. “He doesn't seem to want to tell us anything else...”
“We can't kill him until we agree on how to kill him.” Melpomene said.
“Jabber all you want, you overgrown crows, I'll get out of here.”
In response, the Muse kicked him and he grunted in pain. “Who are you calling a crow, you overgrown newt with wings?”
“What's an angel doing here anyway?”
“Cori, manners.” Polly said. “He's not like most angels we've run into over the years.”
“I ran into one just yesterday, don't tell me what angels are like.”
Castiel turned towards her. “Whom did you encounter?”
“I'll give you five guesses, but you'd probably only need one.”
He raised his head. “Gabriel.”
“Give the angel a cookie.” She came over to stand next to her sister. “You're not pissed I told him, are you Penny?”
“No, no I'm not. Polly, why don't you come down here?”
“I like it up here.” She sat down on the edge of the loft, swinging her legs. “Besides, someone has to keep watch.”
“You can all die.” Surgat said, his voice raspy and weak. “Slowly and painfully.” He gave Castiel a very wicked grin. “What's the matter, angel? Can't go burning my eyes out like you've done to so many of my brethren?”
All three of the Muses turned and stared at Castiel while the demon laughed, spitting out blood. Polly was the one who recovered from her shock first. “Maybe he doesn't want to smite you in front of girls. It's quite smelly, from what I remember.”
“Why don't you all just fuck him now and help him finish falling? I promise I won't watch.”
Cori and Penny exchanged glances and a moment later, Castiel found himself standing next to Polly in the loft. “What is...”
“Oh no...” She stood and knocked him to the ground, covering his ears as something hard hit the wall above them. “Don't look...”
The angel was utterly paralyzed at the sensation of someone half his size holding him against the ground. It was both shocking and not all together unpleasant. The fact the strong scent of lilies filled his senses didn't help either. “What?”
“He said the wrong thing...” Her voice was right next to his ear, and he could hear the fear in it. “He made Penny mad...” She looked over her shoulder down into the barn just in time to see a flash of silver and bronze before it became stained crimson.
An unholy scream echoed through the building, shaking it. It was followed by another and then another. Each wave of sound rippled through Castiel, buffeting against him like the wind. He wagered that if Polyhymnia had not been shielding him, he'd have been slammed into the wall. He knew what was happening down below and why he had to be protected in this matter. Now that they knew he wasn't in contact with Heaven, any powers of protection he had were finite.
Melpomene was the only Muse known to carry a weapon. The sword was rumored to be the fifth blade forged in Hades - fitting, as the Muse of Tragedy was the fifth daughter. At least seven fictional blades were believed to be inspired by it - it couldn't kill an angel, but it could wound, like dead man's blood to a vampire. How, Cas didn't want to find out. As for what it could to do mere humans - he didn't want to know.
The silence was more deafening than the screams had been. He felt the Muse sit up, pulling away from him. “You okay?”
He stared at her. “I am uninjured.” He turned and stared down from the loft. Penny's back was to him, but he could tell from the motions she was cleaning the sword. Terpsichore glanced at them once and then vanished. The demon was dead. Several wounds still bled from his back and even from here, Castiel could see the black skin around the entry points, where the flesh had been charred.
“Polly, take Castiel out of here. I'll take care of the body... and this barn.”
“Sure.” She turned and picked up the net where it had been thrown and folded it over until it was no bigger than a handkerchief. She then dropped it into her inner coat pocket. “Let's go.” She set a hand on the angel's shoulder and flashed them outside of the barn. “I'm guessing you didn't come out here to find that demon.”
“No.” He looked down at her. “It is believed the Kittredges are still in danger. Dean Winchester and his brother wish to know if you or your sister have any ideas on how to keep them safe.”
“Of course the Kittredges are in danger.” Penny had come up next to them just as the barn behind them burst into flames. “There isn't a way to keep them safe. Not all of them.” There was pain in her voice as she spoke. “I do know, however - that Stephen Kittredge is a little more informed about the world then he lets on.” A strong breeze swept through the clearing and the smoke of the fire swept upwards and then slowly abated.
“How are you certain of that?” Castiel said, his eyebrows moving down slightly.
“Because in nineteen seventy three, when Azazel made a deal with his sister, he also offered a similar deal to him. He refused and tried to convince his sister to do the same.”
“Did he know what Azazel was?”
“He suspected.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets. “There's something else you should know.”
“What is that?”
“Stephen Kittredge knew John Winchester.” Polly spoke up. “They served in Vietnam together.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“You want us to take you back to seventy-two and prove it?” Melpomene turned back to the barn and held up her hand, willing the fire to slowly dissipate. There was a crash as the roof collapsed in on itself. “Shortly after the death of Mary Winchester, Stephen Kittredge cut off contact with John. Or it was the other way around... either way...” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You're forgetting two very important facts, Castiel.”
“What is that?” He came over to her and stared into her eyes. He knew that they couldn't intervene directly, but the more they talked, the less time they had.
“Heather's is thirteen. The time of forbidden contact has officially run out. You're also forgetting what parents will sacrifice to keep their children safe.”
“We've left our children on the doorsteps of strangers, trusting in Provenance.” Polly stood next to her sister, holding her hand and Castiel could see the elder squeeze the hand of the younger. “Because we know what would happen if we left them with their fathers. We trust that Stephen Kittredge will do what must be done.” And then they were gone.
The angel stepped towards the smoldering ruins of the barn, frowning. He didn't know what they had meant by Stephen Kittredge doing the right thing. Then it occurred to him exactly what the man could do. As the girl was thirteen, there was nothing preventing Dean from having contact with her. Even if they didn't know about both halves of her parentage. But she couldn't just disappear with the Winchester brothers. They were in just as much danger as she was. And Sam and Dean can protect her much better from a good portion of that evil than her parents currently can. He frowned, remembering that Terpsichore mentioned she had run into Gabriel yesterday. So now he knew as well.
He thought vaguely of Jesse... the powerful half-demon boy who had run away from his parents rather than see them killed. The question was - would Heather Kittredge do the same thing? Don't be stupid, Castiel. If she's got an ounce of Winchester behavior in her body, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
Chapter Four
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: None
Warnings: Violence
Word Count: 8268
Summary: This story follows canon up to Changing Channels - sort of. The January before he went to Hell, Dean and his brother Sam faced the Last Calusa in Key West, Florida. At that time, they knew nothing of the impending Apocalypse, of Lilith's plan for the two of them - but one seemingly unimportant event during that hunt set their destiny on a new path - a path that would not catch up with them until after Lucifer had been freed from his cage.
Summary (This Chapter): In the aftermath of the failed attempt to raise Famine, Sam and Dean discuss the possible origins of Heather Kittredge - but it's Castiel who has most of the needed answers. Three Muses catch a demon - and have a few words with him.
Notes: This is a modified version of the original chapters of this story. Certain events have changed. This story also uses events in the books Bone Key and Heart of the Dragon - both by Keith RA DeCandido.
Neither of the Winchester brothers liked hospitals. They were there at the insistence of the Dubois County Sheriff Department and since keeping a low profile was at the top of their list, the brothers had agreed. Right now the two of them were sitting in the hallway, waiting for the officer who wanted to get statements from them to finish talking with the Kittredge girl.
“This is nuts, you know that.” Dean said, folding his arms and watching a nurse head into the room carrying a bag of blood for a transfusion. “Then again, this could be what freaked Cas out.”
“Dad didn't tell us about Adam...”
“True, but dad didn't usually make the same mistake twice...” He turned as he heard a couple go up to the desk, both of them looking as if they'd run all the way to the hospital. “I believe the Kittredges have arrived. The Matherstones got here right before that poor girl went in to have her stomach pumped.”
“I guess the other one is lucky she threw up.” Sam shook his head as the couple came up to them and went into the room. He noticed that the woman did a double take when she saw the two of them but recovered quickly. “Either she knows who we are or is just as shocked as we are.”
“I'm going with the later.” Dean said as the officer came out of the room.
“Now you two were just in the neighborhood?” He looked from one of them to the other.
They stood up. “That's right.” Sam replied. “We took a wrong turn trying to get back to our hotel... heard some screaming - so we ran in to check it out.”
“Damn good thing you did.” He looked down at his notebook. “You think of crazy shit like this happening elsewhere, not in towns like this.” He shook his head. “Those poor girls... Nicholas Babcock is a respected member of this community. The good news I suppose is that he's not denying he did it - not that there's any other explanation.” He tucked his notebook back into his pocket. “I appreciate the two of you coming down here with us. Makes things easier for everyone.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Dean nodded towards Heather's room. “Physically, at least?”
“I can't tell you that.” He looked the two of them over again. “I have to go meet with the coroner. Thank you again for your cooperation.” He turned and went down the hallway.
“We should head back.”
“Right.” Sam replied and they started up the corridor. “You think the demon will be back for these two?”
“No - I'd say their window of opportunity slammed shut whenever that girl back there puked her guts out.” They went out into the parking lot. “This makes no sense... I mean, we don't have any aunts, uncles or cousins who are alive...we don't even have second cousins...”
“So it's just a wild coincidence that you and Heather Kittredge look alike.”
“No, it's something... we'll just have to find out what it is... I didn't even have a girlfriend around that time, so the only conclusion is that dad did make the same mistake twice. Only this time, the woman in question put the kid up for adoption instead of raising her herself.”
“I don't think that's the case here, Dean and the only reason I say that is because you look like mom. Maybe she had a cousin or something and we never knew about them. I can't think of another plausible reason.” Sam let out a breath.
“You're the college guy, if anyone would know, it'd be you.” He unlocked the Impala and got in.
Sam shook his head as he got in on his side. “Okay, so we go back to the hotel and we start finding out where she came from. Because I hate to say this, but if the demon who did this puts two and two together, it's a fair bet that more demons will come after her.”
*
Heather didn't want to have to repeat the story again. She'd had a strange dream about a funny looking man telling her to wake up. She'd woken up, gotten sick and came out to find something wrong with Mr. Babcock. She seriously doubted anyone believed her when she said black smoke poured out of his mouth and shot out the window above her head. She didn't even know how a fishbowl full of saltwater could to that to a person. She rubbed her nose and glanced at the half empty bag that was attached to her wrist. “I want to go home.” She didn't want to whine, but at the moment, it was hard not to.
“I know baby.” Her mom brushed her hair out of her face. “But the doctors just want to keep you here overnight and you can come home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Is Beth going to be okay?”
“She should be fine.” Sarah Kittredge smiled encouragingly. “So are you.”
“Are you and dad going to stay here?”
“Of course we are. Your dad just went to go get coffee. You should get some rest.”
“I'm scared... what if he comes back?”
“Mr. Babcock is in custody, honey - he can't hurt you anymore.”
“What about the thing that was in him? What if he gets into someone else?”
“There's no such thing as black smoke monsters except on Lost. You must have imagined it.”
“Momma...” She swallowed. “I know what I saw.”
“There are enough people awake here at the hospital that if a smoke monster got in here, it would be noticed.” Sarah replied, her voice full of parental assurance.
Heather knew that tone - it was the same one her mom had used when she was six and her cousin Peter had told her Santa Claus wasn't real. “I guess.” She snuggled back into the pillows the best she could, wincing at the pain in her arm. “How many of these do I have to have?”
“Just this one, I believe.” She leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. “Now what did your daddy and I always tell you when you woke up from a nightmare?”
“That there was nothing to be afraid of.” She opened her eyes again. “And that angels were watching over me.”
“That's right, Heather Grace.” She smiled. “Get some rest... you'll feel better after you've rested.”
“What about those two guys who broke into the house? Who are they?”
“Two good Samaritans - who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Most people who heard a scream wouldn't have bothered.” She stood up. “I'm going to go talk to the doctor, you just try and get some sleep.” She kissed her daughter's forehead as she shut her eyes. “Things will be better in the morning.”
*
Down the hall, Beth was feeling worse than Heather. Having her stomach pumped had parked itself at the worst thing she'd ever had done, she wagered the only thing that could be worse was to have a double root canal - but even then, that might not be as bad. The faint taste of plastic, vomit and her dinner of cider, turkey and potatoes was stuck in her mouth. Her memory of the past few hours was very muddled.
She could remember downing the rest of the glass of cider and the room starting to tilt slightly. She was about to ask Molly if her mom had accidentally spiked the beverage with some kind of booze when she saw her friend slump over on her bed, immobile. Lila was already out cold. Heather, who had only drunk half of her glass looking at her before her eyes rolled back in her head and she too, fell over.
Beth's next clear memory was getting up from her sleeping bag and picking up the fish bowl. Why that particular thing and not the hockey stick that had been perched next to the desk, she didn't know. The glass shattered and she did remember seeing something come out of Mr. Babcock - but after that, she had no memory until she puked here at the hospital.
She'd seen the Ungashicks being led past her room, down the corridor that she knew led to where her father worked - the morgue. That meant one thing: Lila was dead. She had no idea what had happened to Molly - her mom had told her that Heather was down the hall recovering as well. Why they weren't keeping the two of them together... she blinked once or twice, still dizzy from the drugs she'd consumed.
“You should get some rest, Bethy.” Her dad was sitting next to the bed, holding her hand. “There's nothing to be scared of.”
“Where's Molly?”
“I don't know, sweetie.” He lied to her, knowing full well that Molly Babcock was lying on a metal slab, waiting to be claimed by some remaining relative.
“Was she hurt?”
“Don't worry about that, just worry about yourself.” Her mom said from her right. “You just need to rest. Hopefully, the doctors will let you come home tomorrow... but as it is, they think it will most likely be Sunday.”
“I can't miss services.” She replied stubbornly. “It's important for me to go...”
“I think the rabbi will understand your absence.” Mr. Matherstone replied, rubbing her hand with his thumb.
Beth was to tired to cover her mouth as she yawned. “But...”
“Ssh... get some sleep.” He stood up as his daughter closed her eyes. “Looks like Josh found the most comfortable chair in the room.”
“I don't feel like sleeping.” Mrs. Matherstone managed a brave smile. “I could use some coffee, I think.”
“I'll be back shortly.” He left the room, trying to avoid the other doctor's eyes. It was both a blessing and a curse to live in a town where everyone knew everyone else - at least he could count on the hospital security to keep the press out of this place. That was the last thing any of the families involved needed. He also silently gave thanks to the two strangers who had been in the neighborhood and had heard the scream that had probably saved his daughter's life.
*
Dean had called Cas as soon as they had gotten back to the hotel. The angel arrived before he could even hang up the phone. He wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling at this point, it was anger, frustration and confusion all rolled up into one. The only thing that he couldn't believe was that his father, John Winchester, could make the same error twice - and hadn't bothered to tell his sons about it. Of course, had their father not known, that was somewhat forgivable. The entries in his journal for January of nineteen ninety-six only talked about his and Dean's birthdays and Dean's first solo hunt. He was about to start asking Castiel what he knew about it when the angel spoke.
“You were wrong about never meeting a Muse, Dean.” He sat calmly down at the table, glancing sideways at Sam, who had started looking through hospital records.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Dean replied.
“Other than angels, Muses are the only creatures who can travel through time.”
“When the hell did I meet a Muse? Apart from Lolly or Polly or whatever her name was... and what does she have to do with Heather Kittredge? Did our dad meet a muse too and the girl's the result?”
Sam looked from one to the other, frowning. “Uh, Dean?”
“What?”
“If a Muse can travel through time, I don't think that what we were doing at the time the girl was born becomes an issue.”
“Your brother is right, Dean.” Castiel looked up at him. “Heather Kittredge is not the daughter of John Winchester. If you wish to speak biologically, she is his granddaughter.”
“That's... that's not possible.”
“Wait a minute...” Sam cleared his throat. “Dean, it makes sense now...”
“What makes sense?” He backed away from the table. “That's just wrong, Cas... if... how could you not know about this?”
“I'm not omnipotent... the Muse, in this case I can assume we are talking about Melpomene, went to a great length of trouble to hide the child the best she could. She knew what was after you and your family.”
“That would explain why she wanted to kill Lilith..” Sam added.
“Muses rarely become attached to any one human at a time.” Castiel looked from one brother to the other. “The fact that one came close to you at all is in itself a rarity.”
Dean sat down on the corner of the bed and ran his hands through his short hair. “You said I'd remember if I met a Muse, so why the hell can't I remember her?”
“That I can not tell you.” He frowned. “I believe Melpomene did not seek you out later and inform you of what had happened was because she believed you would remain in Hell and did not wish for you to go there with that knowledge.”
“But couldn't she have gone further in time to like say, a week ago Tuesday and told me?”
“No. That would serve no purpose and she could not have told you at the time of the girl's birth because you were seventeen at the time.”
“That's creepy...” He leaned against his legs, thinking. “So why isn't the girl with her mother?”
“Another rule handed down upon the Muses... they were allowed to remain on Earth - but if they were to...have relations with a man, if a child resulted of such relations, said child could not remain with their mother - or with their father.”
“That's horrible.” Sam replied. “So they couldn't leave the baby with the father's family?”
“No... although the father of the child, upon learning of the existence, can become part of the child's life... once they reach a certain age.”
“And that age would be?”
“Seven for a boy, thirteen for a girl.” He replied. “The ages were agreed upon as part of Spartan law. At seven boys were turned out their homes and sent to the army. Girls, at thirteen, were married at that age. Usually to men twice their age.”
“Ew.” Dean replied. “That's just wrong.”
“Considering what the life expectancy was back then, it's not to hard to fathom.” Sam said. “If a person lived to forty, they were old.” He frowned. “I'm also guessing that the demons probably could tell that Heather was related to us... I mean, just on appearance or something...”
“Scent.”
“What?” The brothers said at the same time.
“The demons would be able to tell she is related to you purely by her scent.”
“That's right...” Dean said, thinking back to the time when Cas had sent him to nineteen seventy three and he had encountered Azazel. “So...” He cursed under his breath. “Somehow, I don't think the Kittredges are going to believe us if we told them they were in danger from the powers of Hell.”
“There is no place on Earth for them to hide if Lucifer sends his minions after them.” The angel's voice was solemn.
“But Heather's half... whatever you want to call it, demigod or what have you... doesn't that mean she'd have some kind of, I don't know, weird psychic ability like that Jesse kid?”
“No Dean, she does not. She is as human as you are.” He flicked his gaze towards Sam. “Although she might have a more developed sixth sense than most people.”
“If that's the case, why couldn't she tell the Babcocks were possessed?”
“I said might, Dean - it is not an absolute. Even if she does, she herself is not fully aware of it.”
“So now what do we do?” Sam broke in. “I mean, we can't just leave her here unprotected...”
“What do you suggest, Sammy? Convince her parents that demons are after her and we need to take her somewhere safe? I don't think she, her parents or Bobby would like to have the girl locked up in the panic room in Bobby's basement.”
“I don't know...I just know that any pretense of safety is pretty much gone.” He shook his head. “You have any ideas, Cas?”
“No.” He closed looked from one to the other. “I can try and contact one of the nine and see if they can offer any suggestions, although it would violate the rules.”
“These rules you keep mentioning... what happens to the Muses if they break them?”
“They are punished.” He gave the tiniest hint of a wince. “I do not know the exact details involved in the punishment... but it would be on par with the same torture that Alastair inflicted upon souls in Hell.”
Dean swallowed hard at that. He knew all to well what that was like. “Who?” He didn't finish, the look on Castiel's face was answer enough. “Are you telling me that angels would do that to them?”
“Yes.”
“That's just...” He shook his head.
“I need to find the third member of Melpomene and Polyhymnia's group.... I can only deduce that it is Terpsichore.”
“The Muses travel in threes?”
“Not exactly travel... as they number nine, they stay in communication in three groups of three.” He thought for a moment. “One Muse will always know the location of three others, but never all of them. Two them in the same group and another in a different group.”
“So if they all needed to get together, they'd have a way to contact each other... right?” Sam asked.
“Yes.” Castiel stood up. “There should be no danger for the Kittredges tonight. I will return in the morning.” Before either of the brothers could say anything, he was gone.
“I don't believe this.” Dean said, rubbing his eyes. “This is just...” He shook his head and let out a deep breath. “Of all the...”
“You want me to keep looking through records?”
“Is there any need to? Cas wouldn't have made that story up.” He fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I don't know if I should be pissed or what...”
“I don't think there's a right emotion for this kind of thing... I mean...” He shut his laptop, checked the locks on the door, as well as the salt lines - shut off the lights and went over to the other bed. “It's not like when we found that ghoul was pretending to be Adam.”
“What if we had checked the Babcock house first instead of last?”
Sam recognized the tone in his brother's voice. It was the same one he had whenever he talked about the times he'd failed to do something. “Dean...”
“No, Sam. Don't start with the 'we didn't know' crap. This is something we should have been told... just like dad should have told us about Adam. If he'd have told us, Adam might still be alive.”
“Or he could have died a more brutal death.” Sam unlaced his boots. “I mean, hell - Heather's been hidden from a string of demons who would have killed her in a heartbeat.”
Dean kicked off his own boots. “I know that Sammy... but somehow this just adds a whole new level to this war... and raises the stakes even higher.”
“Maybe Ellen and Jo can help us on this.”
“How?”
“It's just a thought - maybe they'd seem easier to trust than the two of us?”
“Oh yeah, that will be a fun one to explain to Ellen... hell, it'd be a cake walk telling Bobby next to her.”
“Go to sleep, Dean. It's late.” Sam pulled the pillow under his chin and shut his eyes. “ We'll figure something out in the morning.”
“Whatever, Sammy...” He replied, his voice muffled by a pillow.
*
The demon flew faster, faster, his mind reeling from the unexpected dowsing in salt water and the fear of his failure. He'd be cast back into the deepest pits of Hell, he'd never see the light of the sun or moon again. He was disgusted at his own weakness at being unable to handle what should have been a simple task. He should have taken up the suggestion of his companion for her to stay. It would take a whole year before they could attempt to raise Famine again.
He had failed.
Racing through the bare trees and watching animals race away from his path, he knew he couldn't hide forever - he would have to eventually own up to his disgrace. But for now, he had to hide, hide from Lucifer, hide from the Winchesters - who had told them to show up in town? Nothing made sense. He roared around a cypress tree and then found himself caught.
A gossamer fine net kept him from moving forward or backward - or any direction at all. A bloody net was holding him at bay. How was such a thing possible? He tried stretching out one direction and found his form changing. Birds took to the sky in a huge swarm as he let out a roar, and his form - his true demon form came forth - and he was still bound tightly in a net that was the color of gold and burned against his bared flesh like hell fire.
A hand clamped down on his mouth, completely unafraid by his form in any way. Pain ripped through his body as if he was being flayed alive, both from the net and the hand on him. The net shimmered in the darkness, fueled by a fire from within. The fine strands were made of iron cast in bronze, unbreakable and able to hold a demon in it's true form. He couldn't imagine being caught in anything worse, except perhaps a pool full of salt water with a devil's trap painted on the bottom.
There was a flash of light above his head and he could see a person in shadow holding a torch. It was a woman with black hair and after catching a brief flash of brown in her gaze, he watched her eyes, whites and all, turn an absolutely blazing shade of cerulean. He shifted his gaze to the person who had covered his mouth and saw another woman, this one a blond, but with the same eyes. “If it isn't Surgat.”
His eyes widened in shock and recognition.
Melpomene looked over at her sister and then back to the demon. “Oh did you pick the wrong human to go and attack.”
Surgat managed to get other hand free just enough to grab the hand that covered his mouth and pull it down. “This is not allowed... you weren't attacked...”
“Oh but we were.” Terpsichore replied as she adjusted her grip on the torch, casting the light enough so that the demon could see Polyhymnia perched just above them, holding the net closed.
“You just tried to kill the wrong human.” Melpomene said, leaning over and blinked - her eyes going back to normal. The same eyes Surgat had seen not two hours earlier - in the face of Heather Kittredge.
**
The room was in shadows, the even band of light from the hallway shone on the two adults, leaning against each other as they slept in the uncomfortable chairs. The man snores were soft and even and were in almost perfect sync as his wife's breathing. The taller man looked at the couple, a sad smile on his face. They had come here to Jasper to try and escape the troubles that were plaguing the family. The troubles found them - and were going to start multiplying rapidly. He shook his head and turned to the figure sleeping in the bed.
Even if Cori hadn't told him, one look was all Gabriel would have needed. Doing his best to look like the doctor he was masquerading as, he picked up Heather's uninjured wrist and then looked at his watch. He waited until the doctor who was coming down the hall passed the room and then he dropped the girl's wrist and pressed his fingertips against her collarbone.
The girl's body winced in reply, as he knew it would. It was a necessary precaution and because he wasn't a total asshole. He knew that as soon as Zachariah learned of the girl, he'd be after her to blackmail Dean Winchester. Yes, this war was insanely ugly and he wanted it to be over. But if there was one thing he did not want to see, it was an angel possessed thirteen year old girl going after Lucifer.
He knew that Castiel would recognize the Enochian symbols as his handiwork. He didn't care - and who knew, maybe the girl could finally talk some sense into his brother. He turned and left the room, narrowly avoiding a reaper who was racing down the hallway towards the ICU.
*
Dean was dreaming of Key West again. Not of the Last Calusa, thankfully - but of what happened afterwards. He was standing in Captain Tony's, scanning the crowd. It wasn't nearly as busy as the last time he'd been there - even though the band Grand Skim Latte was playing again. Right now, they were doing a cover of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl.' Most everyone there seemed to be with someone - until he caught sight of a woman, a little younger than him, leaning against the bar. As he approached he watched her throw back a shot of whiskey without flinching. Damn. “Hey.” This was what he called a stroke of amazing luck. Not only was this woman the best looking girl in the place, she was alone. The dark washed jeans she was wearing left very little to the imagination of the lower part of her body and the red T-shirt she was wearing advertised some band he'd never heard of called 'Cowboy Mouth.'
She turned and looked him over. “Hey yourself.”
“You want another one?” The bartender nodded at the shot.
“Yeah.”
“What can I get you?” He said to Dean.
“I'll have one of what she's having.”
“Sure.” He refilled the woman's glass and added a second shot glass for him.
“I'm Dean.” He said to the woman as she tossed back the second shot.
She smiled as she set the glass down, wrong side up. She pushed her honey-blond hair out of her face, smiling and revealing that her eyes were a bright shade of blue. “Nice to meet you Dean. My name's Penny.”
In the quiet hotel room in Indiana, Dean sat straight up, breathing hard. Now he remembered - the woman from Key West who'd he woke up next to the night after he, Sam and Bobby had defeated the Last Calusa. The woman who's name he couldn't remember at the time - and she hadn't remembered his.
Or pretended not to...
“Damn it all...” He fell back, covering his face with his hands. In the stillness of the night and in the corners of his mind he could hear Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' echoing in the memory of the events that happened in Key West.
***
“You had everything you needed...” Lucifer glared down at the female demon who'd been possessing Alice Babcock and was now inhabiting the body of a runaway teenager. “You practically had this whole thing on a plate...” He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back to stare into her eyes. “You and Surgat said you could handle this..”
“I'm...”
“Silence! I don't want any excuses or apologies from you.” He snarled and flung her against the floor. Blood spilled from the corners of her mouth and she tried to discreetly spit out a tooth. “You could have gone down that hallway and possessed the last girl to make sure it got done!” He kicked her in the stomach, hard. He could hear the trapped human soul screaming in agony. “It's to late to make amends... there's no way to find four more girls before the full moon.”
“Please...” The demon hacked once, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Please...”
“And since Samuel Winchester is with his brother, I can't get at him either...” He glared down at her. “Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your worthless existence and not send you into the Great Oblivion.”
At this, the demon slowly raised her head and licked her lips. “I have one...”
“And that is?”
“The third girl...”
“What about her?” Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
“She smells, my lord.”
“All humans smell... the one you're wearing smells particularly nasty... I should have you bathe before I destroy you.”
“But that girl...” She felt the corners of her mouth involuntarily rise as she spoke. “Smells like a Winchester.”
The fallen angel's expression changed from rage to surprise. He crouched down and lifted the demon's chin, staring into her eyes. “So there's another one, is there?”
“It would seem... she smells the way they do.”
“Well then...” He stood up, smiling. “You may have a chance to get back on my good side.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“What's this girl's name again?”
“Heather Kittredge, my lord.”
“I want you to return to Jasper... possess the girl's mother... and bring the girl here. It doesn't matter what her relationship to the brothers is... we can count on Dean Winchester's desire to keep his family safe to help us. They will come to her rescue and then Samuel will find himself in between a rock and a hard place.” He smiled. “And then I can get out of this body and into my proper vessel.”
“Yes, my lord.” She swallowed. “What about Mr. Kittredge?”
“Azazel's curse on the families connected to those who failed will get him soon enough.”
**
Dean woke up on Saturday morning, and after retrieving coffee for him and Sam from the free breakfast offered by the hotel, he started flipping through the back section of his father's journal. This was the area where John had put things that were hoaxes, scams and completely random information. Whereas just reading the regular part of the book would convince you that the man had issues, the back of the book merely confirmed it. There was even a few articles about the curses on Major League Baseball teams and a few notes on possible theories on the New York Yankees and their multiple World Series wins. He didn't know what he was looking for, exactly - only that he was thinking that someway, somehow his father had seen something, heard something...
Exactly how many times had the Winchester family come to Indiana in the past thirteen years? He knew he'd been here at least three times in the past two years. It was probably a good thing that Cas had told him that Muses couldn't be killed - because he had the urge to hunt down Melpomene and at least smack her across the face, or something.
Yeah, right - she didn't tell you because she couldn't tell you - and Lisa Braden was probably lying to you.
“Damn it...” He'd done his best to shut Lisa and her son Ben out of his mind. He didn't want that kind of weight on his shoulders too. At the time he'd just accepted her story that he wasn't Ben's father. But now that he stopped and thought about it, the other man story seemed just a little to - convenient. Are you only pissed because you find out you actually have a kid and it's a girl? He was about to slam the journal shut and get some coffee when he caught sight of a small clipping that had been hidden, tucked behind a postcard from Roswell, New Mexico. The date in the corner was September 24, 1996. It was the date that made him pause because of it's closeness to Heather's birthday. He unfolded the small clipping and read the headline: Newborn Infant Found in Local Fire Station. “Damn.” He scanned it not really paying attention to most of it. He knew that in some states, a baby could be left at a hospital or a fire station no questions asked. He just didn't think it was actually done. Apart from that man in Nebraska who'd taken advantage of the 'any child' rule and left all of his kids at a local hospital - the oldest had almost been eighteen years old. The baby in this case had been a girl found on Sunday morning. It was that when he noticed that his father had underlined something and had a note on the blank space from where it'd been cut. In his father's very messy handwriting he could read: Try and look this girl up in six months. He looked at the underlined portion - it was the address of the fire station where the baby had been found: 12479 Winchester Road, Lexington, Kentucky.
“Oh you got to be kidding me...”
“What?” Sam said groggily as sat up.
“This.” He said, setting the piece of paper on the table and took a big swig of coffee. “Either this is a wild coincidence or it's something else...”
“Let me see...” Sam came over to the table and picked up the article. After reading it, he sat down. “That... is scary.” He pulled the second cup of coffee towards him and took a swig. “Where were we in March of ninety-seven?”
“California, I think...” He shook his head. “I know we were in Indiana in November...”
“Wait... I remember that it was only supposed to be what, two weeks and it turned into a month?”
“Yeah...” He took a sip of coffee. “You think that this..” He tapped the article once. “Is what he was doing the other two?”
“I don't know... I mean... and why would dad go looking in the first place?” Sam pulled the journal over and opened it up to the back. “Dad have anything on Muses in here?”
“You think if he ever met one he'd have told us. Maybe then we'd know what to look out for.”
“Dean...” He shook his head. “I don't see what you're so pissed about. I mean hell, until last night, Heather Kittredge had the life we always wanted...a home, a family and apple pie...”
“...and that just came crashing down around her and Beth Matherstone. Tell me something Sam... how in the world are Stephen and Sarah Kittredge supposed to keep their daughter safe from demons?”
“Would you care this much if she wasn't...” He tried to find the best way to phrase it and failed. “Okay, if she wasn't related to us, would you still care this much?”
“She's a kid, Sammy.” He took a long sip of coffee, his mind starting to go into overdrive. “Melpomene went to a great deal of trouble to hide her once... what do we do when the demons... what do we do when Lucifer finds out about this?”
“What are you suggesting, Dean? Kidnapping her?”
“You can bet that will be at the top of his list when he finds out... and don't even tell me that Zachariah won't be after her too. Given what we know about them, they probably won't give a damn if she lives or dies.”
“And you do.” Sam was trying to get Dean to admit what he was feeling - because honestly, it was about time he did.
“Of course I care! That's what we do, we save innocent people, I'd say she qualifies!”
“So even if she wasn't...oh hell, I may as well say it - if Heather wasn't your biological daughter, you'd still care this much?”
“If she wasn't related to us, she'd not be in this much danger!”
“That's not answering the question.”
“Yes, it is. She's in trouble the same way all of mom's friends were in trouble - the way all those people around us died. So now we have a chance to do something about it and...”
“Dean...” He set a hand on his brother's shoulder. “We'll figure something out. We might have to resort to kidnapping or....” He shrugged. “I don't know... convince her to runaway from home.”
“Why would she runaway from home?”
“If she thinks demons are after her and wants to keep her parents safe?” He pulled his laptop towards him and turned it on. “I think we should tell Bobby what's going on.”
“I'll do it.” He picked up his cell and scanned through the numbers, checking the time before hitting the dial, as Jasper was an hour ahead of Sioux Falls. “He hasn't a good excuse to chew me out for something in a few weeks, this should get him through Christmas.”
*
Castiel stood outside the large abandoned barn that looked as if one strong breeze would cause it to collapse. If there was a middle of nowhere in Indiana, this was it. At one time, it had been located in the middle of a barn yard that had stood next to a huge farm that had grown sorghum and soybeans. Now all traces of the farm, save this barn, were gone. Trees had encroached upon the land, hiding it from view. He followed the thin trail of the demon into these woods when it had been cut off by three stronger trails - that he knew had been deliberately.
There were Enochian wards carved into the eastern and western walls - and wards to dispel demons north and south. It was apparent that whatever the three in the barn were up to, they did not want to be surprised. Standing in front of the entrance he looked down at the ground for a rock to throw against the door, as the glowing wards prevented him from knocking. As he picked up a stone the size of his fist and prepared to hurl it forward, he stopped short.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find us.”
“Melpomene.” He said flatly to the woman standing in the open doorway.
“If you wish to come in, you may come in.” She backed up a few steps, allowing him entry.
He dropped the rock before he moved forward and he paused when he stood level with her. “When did you and Dean Winchester meet?”
“That was a lovely euphemism, Castiel.” She motioned with her fingers and the doors shut behind them. “And the answer to your question is two years ago this January.”
“Key West.”
“Very good... and I'm afraid all details about the rest of it aren't fit for your ears... furthermore, a lady never kisses and tells. I doubt you'd get any details out of him either.” She turned on her heel and went under a large beam into the middle part of the barn. “Sisters, we have company.”
Castiel followed her and saw the devil's trap painted on the ceiling. In the center of the trap was a demon pinned down by a large net. He swallowed hard at the bindings on the creature - hoping they were secure. He had seen this monster during the siege in Hell. Surgat - one of the many generals at Lucifer's command. It was rumored that he and Alistair were brothers, true brothers, but that had never been proven and no one really wanted to do that kind of research. “Is this who was in Nicholas Babcock.”
“The one and only.” Polyhymnia said from her stance on the second level of the barn, looking down at him, her hands on her hips. “Unfortunately, he doesn't feel much like talking...”
“Go to Hell, bitch.” Surgat muttered from his binding.
“Can't we just kill him? Please?” A voice said from behind Castiel and he turned and saw the third sister, Terpsichore, leaning against a beam. “He doesn't seem to want to tell us anything else...”
“We can't kill him until we agree on how to kill him.” Melpomene said.
“Jabber all you want, you overgrown crows, I'll get out of here.”
In response, the Muse kicked him and he grunted in pain. “Who are you calling a crow, you overgrown newt with wings?”
“What's an angel doing here anyway?”
“Cori, manners.” Polly said. “He's not like most angels we've run into over the years.”
“I ran into one just yesterday, don't tell me what angels are like.”
Castiel turned towards her. “Whom did you encounter?”
“I'll give you five guesses, but you'd probably only need one.”
He raised his head. “Gabriel.”
“Give the angel a cookie.” She came over to stand next to her sister. “You're not pissed I told him, are you Penny?”
“No, no I'm not. Polly, why don't you come down here?”
“I like it up here.” She sat down on the edge of the loft, swinging her legs. “Besides, someone has to keep watch.”
“You can all die.” Surgat said, his voice raspy and weak. “Slowly and painfully.” He gave Castiel a very wicked grin. “What's the matter, angel? Can't go burning my eyes out like you've done to so many of my brethren?”
All three of the Muses turned and stared at Castiel while the demon laughed, spitting out blood. Polly was the one who recovered from her shock first. “Maybe he doesn't want to smite you in front of girls. It's quite smelly, from what I remember.”
“Why don't you all just fuck him now and help him finish falling? I promise I won't watch.”
Cori and Penny exchanged glances and a moment later, Castiel found himself standing next to Polly in the loft. “What is...”
“Oh no...” She stood and knocked him to the ground, covering his ears as something hard hit the wall above them. “Don't look...”
The angel was utterly paralyzed at the sensation of someone half his size holding him against the ground. It was both shocking and not all together unpleasant. The fact the strong scent of lilies filled his senses didn't help either. “What?”
“He said the wrong thing...” Her voice was right next to his ear, and he could hear the fear in it. “He made Penny mad...” She looked over her shoulder down into the barn just in time to see a flash of silver and bronze before it became stained crimson.
An unholy scream echoed through the building, shaking it. It was followed by another and then another. Each wave of sound rippled through Castiel, buffeting against him like the wind. He wagered that if Polyhymnia had not been shielding him, he'd have been slammed into the wall. He knew what was happening down below and why he had to be protected in this matter. Now that they knew he wasn't in contact with Heaven, any powers of protection he had were finite.
Melpomene was the only Muse known to carry a weapon. The sword was rumored to be the fifth blade forged in Hades - fitting, as the Muse of Tragedy was the fifth daughter. At least seven fictional blades were believed to be inspired by it - it couldn't kill an angel, but it could wound, like dead man's blood to a vampire. How, Cas didn't want to find out. As for what it could to do mere humans - he didn't want to know.
The silence was more deafening than the screams had been. He felt the Muse sit up, pulling away from him. “You okay?”
He stared at her. “I am uninjured.” He turned and stared down from the loft. Penny's back was to him, but he could tell from the motions she was cleaning the sword. Terpsichore glanced at them once and then vanished. The demon was dead. Several wounds still bled from his back and even from here, Castiel could see the black skin around the entry points, where the flesh had been charred.
“Polly, take Castiel out of here. I'll take care of the body... and this barn.”
“Sure.” She turned and picked up the net where it had been thrown and folded it over until it was no bigger than a handkerchief. She then dropped it into her inner coat pocket. “Let's go.” She set a hand on the angel's shoulder and flashed them outside of the barn. “I'm guessing you didn't come out here to find that demon.”
“No.” He looked down at her. “It is believed the Kittredges are still in danger. Dean Winchester and his brother wish to know if you or your sister have any ideas on how to keep them safe.”
“Of course the Kittredges are in danger.” Penny had come up next to them just as the barn behind them burst into flames. “There isn't a way to keep them safe. Not all of them.” There was pain in her voice as she spoke. “I do know, however - that Stephen Kittredge is a little more informed about the world then he lets on.” A strong breeze swept through the clearing and the smoke of the fire swept upwards and then slowly abated.
“How are you certain of that?” Castiel said, his eyebrows moving down slightly.
“Because in nineteen seventy three, when Azazel made a deal with his sister, he also offered a similar deal to him. He refused and tried to convince his sister to do the same.”
“Did he know what Azazel was?”
“He suspected.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets. “There's something else you should know.”
“What is that?”
“Stephen Kittredge knew John Winchester.” Polly spoke up. “They served in Vietnam together.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“You want us to take you back to seventy-two and prove it?” Melpomene turned back to the barn and held up her hand, willing the fire to slowly dissipate. There was a crash as the roof collapsed in on itself. “Shortly after the death of Mary Winchester, Stephen Kittredge cut off contact with John. Or it was the other way around... either way...” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You're forgetting two very important facts, Castiel.”
“What is that?” He came over to her and stared into her eyes. He knew that they couldn't intervene directly, but the more they talked, the less time they had.
“Heather's is thirteen. The time of forbidden contact has officially run out. You're also forgetting what parents will sacrifice to keep their children safe.”
“We've left our children on the doorsteps of strangers, trusting in Provenance.” Polly stood next to her sister, holding her hand and Castiel could see the elder squeeze the hand of the younger. “Because we know what would happen if we left them with their fathers. We trust that Stephen Kittredge will do what must be done.” And then they were gone.
The angel stepped towards the smoldering ruins of the barn, frowning. He didn't know what they had meant by Stephen Kittredge doing the right thing. Then it occurred to him exactly what the man could do. As the girl was thirteen, there was nothing preventing Dean from having contact with her. Even if they didn't know about both halves of her parentage. But she couldn't just disappear with the Winchester brothers. They were in just as much danger as she was. And Sam and Dean can protect her much better from a good portion of that evil than her parents currently can. He frowned, remembering that Terpsichore mentioned she had run into Gabriel yesterday. So now he knew as well.
He thought vaguely of Jesse... the powerful half-demon boy who had run away from his parents rather than see them killed. The question was - would Heather Kittredge do the same thing? Don't be stupid, Castiel. If she's got an ounce of Winchester behavior in her body, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
Chapter Four