Glowing Like the Metal on the Edge of a Knife Part Three

[eachdraidhean]

There was an abrupt knock on the door, and without waiting to be invited, Theo strode into the room.

"You told him?"

"I told him what I know, which isn't much." Jensen glared at the hunter.

"Well, it's time to get you up to speed. Both of you. Matt the assistant concierge? He's a ... friend of mine. A hunter. He's been working here for a couple of months undercover, making sure the hotel was safe for you guys. The convention staff arrived while we were eating, and he recognized one of them. Don Lassiter, the head of Destruction Entertainment? He's also a player in the Cult of Obsidian. They played us." Theo's fist connected with the wall, and he gritted his teeth against the pain. "Dammit!! It was so fucking obvious! All this time I thought I was keeping you safe, but I was bringing you right to them."

"What?" Jensen was on his feet and Jared stood behind him, thoroughly confused.

"The attempt to grab you in LA was a fake. They wanted us to think you'd be safer out here."

Theo shook his head and turned as Clif joined them.

"The girls and Gabe and Chad are in their rooms. Jeff here wouldn't play nice and have an early night, and I thought he should know what's going on."

Jeff poked his head around the door, and wandered in, looking at everyone with curiosity.

"What is going on?"

"Lets start with demons and how real they are." Jensen couldn't help a small smile at the look of disbelief on Jeff's face.

"First things first." Theo strode across the room to where a large bag lay. He opened it, and started pulling weapons out, handing them to Clif, who in turn handed them to Jensen, Jared and Jeff. "The rooms you guys are in are all protected with sigils and permanent salt lines. Courtesy of Matt. It would take a lot for anything evil to get into them. Remember that."

Jeff nodded, and took a shotgun from Clif, as Theo gave out orders.

“So it’s all real? Demons and angels and hunters?” Jared asked a little later as he and Jensen filled shotgun shells with salt while Theo, Clif and Jeff cleaned guns and checked ammo.

“Pretty much.” Theo replied as he reassembled a Glock. "Although I've never seen an angel."

“So Kripke must have known about the hunting life?”

Theo snorted. “He more than knew about it. He’s Sam. The kid who didn’t want anything to do with being a hunter.”

“Eric was a hunter?” Jared stared at Theo.

“Yup. Damned good researcher and he knows his way around weapons as well as I do.”

“Was there a Dean?” Jensen asked curiously.

“You still haven't got it yet? You’re looking at him.” Theo smirked from under his unruly hair.

“You … you’re Eric’s brother? Fuck!” Jensen stared at him, open mouthed.

“I knew I’d see you before!” Jared almost bounced. “You were on set one day. I remember you were lurking around while we were shooting, but then Eric went over to you and clapped you on the back, so I guessed you were okay.”

“You’re Dean?” Jensen was still having a hard time processing it. “What about the rest of your family? Is … did a demon kill your Mom?”

“Hell no! Mom’s alive and well and living in Florida. My Dad and his buddy were attacked by a spirit one night. A guy named John rescued them, and they took him out for a drink. After what they’d seen, they were pretty gung ho on killing as many evil sons of bitches as they could, and they kept in touch with John. Dad used to get phone calls in the middle of the night and take off for days at a time. Pissed Mom right off. A year later, he came in from work one night and announced that he’d quit his job to hunt demons. Mom filed for divorce the next day and took us down to Florida. Me and Eric got to spend the summers with him, and he taught us to track and kill spirits and the like.”

“Wow.” Jared was almost speechless.

“So do you live off credit card scams and pool hustling?”

Theo laughed and shook his head.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“So where do we fit into all this?”

“There was a scene you did for the last episode, the last one you shot. Remember the so called earth tremor? Well, Jared was standing in an honest to God Arameic summoning bowl.”

“Bowl?” I don’t remember that.” Jared looked puzzled.

“That’s just what it’s called. It’s not an actual bowl, it’s an indent in the ground, lined with symbols. I told Eric that it was risky, but he always was a perfectionist and he was right. Unless a very precise ritual was performed, it was safe, and the words that were written for Sam to say were checked and double checked. But something went wrong. I wasn’t there the day of the shoot, I was in the woods a few miles away. A friend of mine had contacted to let me know he'd found the Obsidian knife. We were gonna destroy it, but they got to him first. Used him as the human sacrifice they needed to start the ritual. When Jared read the altered lines, I felt it. Not just the earth trembling.” Theo shuddered.

“Felt it? Felt what?” Jared swallowed.

“The summoning.” Theo’s jaw clenched at the memory, just like Dean’s did in times of stress. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jensen. “Blew through the world like a fetid breath. Most other people just felt the tremor and it was passed off as a natural event.”

“So … you’re the psychic brother?” Jeff asked.

“Not psychic, not like Sam, more of a sensitive.”

Clif snorted behind them, and Theo gave him a withering look.

“Trying to be serious here, dude.”

“Whatever, man.” Clif smirked, and went back to checking out a shotgun.

Theo rolled his eyes and carried on.

“So on one of the takes, the one with the revised script, you said the words needed to complete the ritual, the ground shook and you tripped and landed on your hands and knees in the dirt.” He looked at Jared. “What you thought was stage blood on your hands was real blood. I figure the everything had been set up so that all you had to do was finish it while Jensen was there. It was aimed at him.”

“Why me? Why did it have to be me? And what exactly …. What exactly did I do to him?” Jared’s heart was beating too fast at the idea that he’d cursed Jensen with something. He glanced at his one time friend, eyes stricken with fear.

“Hey, Jay, it’s okay, man.” Jensen moved closer and squeezed his shoulder, leaving his hand where it was in a natural gesture that used to comfort Jared. “You couldn’t have known.” Jared moved towards him slightly and Jensen had to resist the urge to slip his arm around his shoulders. “Yeah, man, why us?”

Theo and Clif glanced at each other.

“There's a prophecy involved, and all signs pointed to you guys as being the ones. It's always been you. And the summoning was only the beginning. Something of this magnitude needs a lot of work, a lot of preparation, so the ritual was the beginning of five years of preparation. Whoever did this knew just what they were in for when they began it, and were prepared to wait for five years for it to come to fruition.”

“You keep saying summoning. What does that mean?”

“Well, Lucifer had to be informed that the ritual was in progress. You summoned him to the door, and he's been waiting a lot longer than five years to be freed. And his followers have to make sure the vessel is ready for him.” He glanced uneasily at Jensen.

“Vessel?” Jensen stood up straight and backed away from them, staring wide eyed at Theo. “Okay, man, time out. You had me, you really did, with all this demon hunting crap, but if you think I believe that? I’m not an idiot. This isn’t happening, it’s all a stupid fucking game!”

Jensen took another step back, straight against Jared's chest. Jared grabbed his arm and held onto him. He turned to the others, eyes blazing.

“You have to be fucking kidding! Lucifer? It was a TV show, man!! Wasn’t real!” But deep down, he knew Theo was telling the truth.

Jensen clung to him, fingers digging into his arms, holding on as if his life depended on it. Jared matched his hold and pulled him closer.

“Remember I told you that they weren’t trying to kill you, that day in the parking lot, they were trying to snatch you? Meant they would have control when the time came? Well, it turns out they’ve had control all along and right now, we couldn’t be in a worse place.”

They all jumped at a loud rapping on the door. Clif pulled it cautiously open and an overly cheerful Matt walked in with an arm full of bedding.

"Mr Ackles? Here are the extra pillows you requested." Matt's voice was loud and cheery, but the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes and as soon as the door closed behind him, he sagged, glancing over at Theo and shaking his head.

“There is no convention.” Theo watched the color drain from the actor’s faces as Matt spoke. “My boss is throwing a fit. He just sent everyone who doesn't live in home for a few days since there won't be many guests to deal with. According to the database, the whole of the other wing is booked solid with fans who should have started arriving tonight. One of the guys working for Destruction told him the convention had to be cancelled at the last minute, but I know nothing's been said to you." Matt glanced around and Jared, Jensen and Jeff. "So I acted dumb, and went to ask Don Lassiter if there was anything his people needed. He smiled at me, and said no, the place was perfect and everything was how he wanted it."

Jared’s eyes widened. "Lucy! I met a fan in the airport on the way here who said the con had been a sell out from the second the tickets had gone on sale. No one she knew had been able to get a hold of a ticket. There never was a convention, was there?"

"Wait, this whole thing was a set up?" Jensen turned to Theo.

"We've been played. By the time the fans realize that no-one got tickets, no-one will care anymore because darkness will be ruling the earth wearing your face.”

Jared stood closer to Jensen, bristling at the thought of anything happening to him.

"We have to get out of here. What about the Hummer? Would it take us all?"

"Would be a tight fit." Clif looked dubious.

“I have to get back. Keep me posted?"

Theo nodded and Matt pushed away from the wall. He looked at Theo with something like longing in his eyes, then took off, closing the door behind him.

Theo looked at the actors. “We need to tell evryone else the score because we need to be ready take a stand.”


~*~*~*~*~*~


It turned out that Gabe and Chad had snuck down to the bar in search of entertainment, and Katie and Gen refused to be left behind after sussing out that something was going on. Jeff's hand slipped into Katie's on the way down stairs. Jared stayed close to Jensen as they stood in the bar, thinking how natural it still felt to have a gun stuck in the waistband of his jeans. He guessed he would never really leave Sam Winchester behind, and at that moment, he was grateful he could still slip into the young hunter's head.

Theo was less than pleased when they found the actors halfway through a bottle of Jack and they took the news that there was no convention about as well as he'd had expected.

Chad was still yelling when a door burst open and a tall man strode through, followed by a handful of people.

“Mr Lassiter? Thank God you’re here.” Chad recognized the convention organizer from a meeting at his agent’s. “Could you please reassure us that the convention is going ahead as planned? There seems to be some confusion over whether it's been canceled or not.”

“There’s no need to concern yourselves.” Don Lassiter smiled at them. “There never was a convention, so cancelling isn’t exactly a problem.”

“There wasn’t?” Genevieve walked towards him, eyes wide. “Then why are we here? I can’t possibly believe that what they are saying is true!”

“It’s all true.” Lassiter smiled and Theo and Clif pulled the actors behind him. Theo aimed the shotgun at the man.

“And you can be the first to die.” Lassiter looked at Genevieve, his eyes turning white and before anyone could react, she was slammed against the wall like a rag doll, and crumpled to the floor.

“Run!! Follow Clif!!” Theo yelled at the rest of them, and fired at Lassiter. The rock salt hit his chest and he snarled.

"There's nowhere to run to boy! I can take you all down whenever I choose."

Theo followed the actors, barricading the door from the bar behind them, knowing it was a very temporary measure. He found them all huddled around together around Clif on the landing by their rooms.

"Right now, you're safest in your rooms, until we can make sure we have a clear path to the Hummer. Stay close, in fact, all stay in the one room if you want, but stay ready to move. Jeff? I could do with your help."

"Sure, no problem."

"Wait, why can't I help? This is my problem."

"It's everyone's problem, Jensen, and if they get to you and Jared, it's all over."

"And Jared? Dammit, Theo you're still not telling us everything!"

"Soon as I get back, I promise."

"What about Gen? Shouldn't we go back and see if she's alive?" Katie's voice was small and frightened.

"Sorry, but the way she hit that wall, she couldn't have survived."

Katie nodded sadly, and Jeff hugged her. She'd never been fond of Gen, but Katie didn't think anyone deserved to die like that.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Jensen's room was biggest, two large beds, and he and Jared set about moving the arsenal off them so the others could use them. Gabe and Chad plonked themselves down on one of them, and pulled out iPhones, checking for a signal only to be disappointed.

"We could call the cops? The hotel must have a phone that works?" Gabe suggested.

"It doesn't even have an internet connection." Chad grumbled.

"It would take them too long to get out here, even if we could call out, and the hotel phones are already dead. I checked. I don't think the local cops would be able to deal with a bunch of demons on a mission."

"And we can?" Chad sat back against the headboard and sighed.

"If we can get to the Hummer, we can get out, okay? Just wait until Theo and Jeff get back." Jensen tried to sound more sure of himself than he felt.

Behind them, Jared had his arms wrapped around Katie, and she was shivering.

"Why don't you lie down for a while? I'll wake you up as soon as we can get out of here." Jared sat her down on the bed, and pulled the quilt around her. She lay down and closed her eyes, hoping that when she woke up, it would all have been a bad dream.

Once Katie was settled, Jared flopped in one of the large armchairs in the suite, and Jensen sat down on the other. He got straight back up again, and pulled the chair closer to Jared's, until they were so close when he sat back down their knees were touching. Jared smiled a small smile and pressed his leg against Jensen's, needing the physical touch to ground him.

Sitting forward, Jensen almost whispered "missed you", his eyes flicking to Jared's as a blush crept onto his face.

"Missed you too." Jared's smile was almost shy. “Look, under the circumstances, you might wanna have this back.” Jared hooked his fingers under the thin leather thong round his neck, and pulled the rest of it out from inside his t shirt.

Jensen stared, open mouthed, at Dean’s amulet, hanging from Jared’s fingers.

“Is that … is that the original? Is it …?”

“Yours? Dean’s? Yeah, it is.”

“But, I thought it had gone missing, from props. I went to find it, the day we left, and it wasn’t there.”

"One of the girls in costume, Della, she found it and sent it on to me to give to you." He looked sheepish. "I forgot about it in the move out east, and then when I came across it again after ... I kept it because it felt like you were still around."

Jared risked taking it a step further and laced the fingers of one hand with Jensen's, which lay on his knee. Jensen looked down at their hands and squeezed Jared's fingers.

"If we get out of this ..." His voice was rough and his meaning plain.

"When. When we get out of this." Jared insisted. "I'm not losing you again, not for anything."

Jensen nodded and swallowed thickly. “I’m scared.” He whispered, admitting to the only person he could how freaked he was about what they were caught up in.

“Me too.” Jared agreed with him, slipping his free hand onto Jensen's thigh. “But we’ll find a way through this, Jen. We have to.”

Katie watched from the bed, eyes widening as she finally realized that it wasn't just a friendship that had waned. Jared inched closer, and she was certain that he was about to kiss Jensen. She held her breath, feeling like a voyeur, but unable to look away. Jensen nodded, agreeing with what Jared had said, and tilted his head forward.

Their mouths met, softly caressing, and Jensen moaned as he felt the tip of Jared’s tongue flick against his lips. Without deepening the kiss, without plundering Jared’s mouth, Jensen let Jared know exactly how he felt. He let down his defenses and one gentle kiss began to heal the wounds that being apart had left them with.

"We have to go now!" Theo ran through the door, and Jensen and Jared sprang apart. "It's risky, but there's a back stairway which isn't heavily guarded. Matt's keeping watch. Come on! Move it!!"

"Isn't heavily guarded? So it's partially guarded?" Chad asked, looking freaked out.

"Whichever way we go, we've got a fight on our hands. This is our best option."

Theo herded them out and down a narrow stairway, the doorway to which lay within the protected area of the hotel. As soon as they walked through the door, they were more vulnerable than they had been, but Theo was counting on the fact that getting out was a better option than sitting there, waiting for Lassiter to figure out a way through the wards. He had no doubt that a demon of his stature had more tricks up his sleeve than the run of the mill black eyed son of a bitch he usually dealt with.

"Remember, shooting them won't kill them, but it'll slow them down, and that's all we need to do to buy us enough time to get to the Hummer. Matt's at the bottom of the stairs. Follow him to the left, and down the next flight of stairs, and we'll be almost home free."

"We're gonna shoot them?" Gabe had never sounded more like Andy, as he stared wide eyed at Theo.

"The meatsuits they're wearing? They volunteered to cart their demons around. The Cult only uses its own members as hosts, people dedicated to the cause, so don't go thinking these are innocent victims."

Jensen drew his gun, as Jared did the same, and he had a strong feeling of deja vu, but of course, they'd been in the same position so often, weapons drawn, ready to fight side by side. Only this time it wasn't fantasy. Jensen remembered what it had been like to play Dean, recalled how the hunter would have dealt with the situation, and found the headspace he needed to do this. Looking over at Jared, he could see shades of Sam on his friends face and knew that whatever happened, they'd see it through together.

Theo reached the bottom of the stairs first, and snuck a peek out of the door. Matt was standing where Theo knew he would be, close to the staircase that would take them closer to freedom. He looked behind him, and then nodded to Jeff, holding the door open just enough for them to slip through. Jeff and Clif made sure Katie, Gabe and Chad got through and whispered for them to wait. Jared and Jensen walked silently across the corridor, Theo behind them, and that's when all hell broke loose.

Matt was suddenly pinned to the wall as several figures ran towards them, and he screamed at Theo.

"Get them out of here!!"

Jensen got off the first shots, catching two of their attackers square in their chests, as Jared and Theo swung round at the sound of more demons running towards them from the other direction. They both fired into the mass of bodies, and inched their way towards the doorway. Clif energed, blasting away with his sawn off. He hit the demon keeping Matt pinned to the wall, and he fell, landing on his feet and pulling a gun out, shooting the closest demon straight through the head.

"Jeff! Go!!" Cliff yelled.

On the top of the stairs, Jeff only hesitated for a second. His friends were out there, under attack, but the people crowded on top of the small landing quaking in fear were his friends too, and he knew he needed to get them to safety. Then he could see about helping his boys.

"C'mon. Follow me and don't look back."

They ran down stairs, no longer trying to keep quiet, but when they reached the bottom, and emerged into the corridor, they hadn't gone more than a few paces towards the door that led to the back of the hotel, when three smirking demons walked towards them, cutting off their escape.

"No-one leaves tonight." The closest one growled and launched itself at them.

Jeff yelled, and fired the shotgun, just as the second one lunged for them. It was blown back by a shot that came from behind Jeff, and he turned to see Katie glaring at their attackers, gun in her hand. He grinned, and moved backwards, pushing open a door on the other side of the corridor and urging his charges through it.

Chad yelped as he fell down a short flight of stairs, and Gabe landed on him with an oof. Behind them, Jeff pushed the door shut, and looked around for something to brace it shut. They were safe, for now, if he could keep the door closed, but inside he kicked himself for being trapped away from the fight.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Upstairs, the battle raged, and they all knew they were slowly running out of ammo. A demon caught Jensen around the neck, and tried to pull him away, but Jared brought the barrel of his gun down on the back of it's head, and it lost it's grip but swung round and slammed it's fist towards Jared, catching him on the side of his face. He staggered to one side, blood pouring from a cut on his temple, and brought his gun up and shot the demon square in the face. It howled and fell back, and Theo blasted away at the next one that came for Jensen. Clif was limping, and swinging his sawn off like a club, but the demons kept coming back for more. Matt shot at another one, holding his gun in his left hand as he held his badly bleeding right arm across his body, wincing with every pull of the trigger.

"Back! Theo yelled, and grabbed the demon blocking their escape back upstairs, punching it, and throwing it at another.

Jared and Jensen were fighting back to back, and they tried to hold off what felt like the hordes of hell while Theo grabbed Matt and threw him through the door, and pulled Clif after him. Sensing they were losing their prey, the demons doubled their attack, and one of them grabbed Jensen's arm, and pulled him away from the door.

"It's almost time!" The glee in it's black eyes was terrifying, and Jensen struggled in it's grasp.

"No!!" Jared threw himself at them, pulling the knife Theo had given him from his boot, and slashing at the thing. it screamed, and let go of Jensen as another came up behind Jared. Before it got to him, Jared shoved Jensen through the door, but as he dived for it, and Theo reached for him, another demon slammed the door shut. Theo howled in pain as the bones in his hand shattered, and Jensen threw himself at the door, pounding on it as Matt pulled Theo away.

"No!! It's me you want!! You sons of bitches, let him go!!"

On the other side of the door, Lassiter strode through his minions and without a word, punched Jared in the face. Jared slumped in the demon's grasp, and as two others barricaded the door, locking the hunters on the other side, Lassiter looked down at the unconscious actor.

"Bring him." He strode off down the corridor, a smirk on his face, ready to make his final preparations.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Jensen's hands were bloodied from pounding on the door by the time Cliff pulled him away, and they all limped upstairs.

"We have to get him back!!"

Jensen paced as Clif snapped Matt's dislocated arm into place, and then went to see to Theo's hand. The hunter was sitting, tight lipped and ashen, and he snapped off a cry of pain when, after forcing him to take a couple of pain killers, Clif gently bandaged his hand with supplies from the kit from Theo's bag.

"Jensen?" Clif asked, calmly. "See to Matt's arm. There's dressings here.

Jensen forced himself to tend to Theo's friend, who was looking over at the hunter with grave concern. Theo glanced over at him.

"I'll be fine. Quit worrying."

Once he'd finished, Jensen pulled a chair over to where Clif was still working on Theo's hand.

"Look, man, you gotta tell me everything. They took him for a reason, right?"

Theo nodded glumly.

"He was part of it, from the start. He was the Summoner, and it's the Summoner that has to be the final sacrifice. They need you there with him, as the Vessel, but his death at the right moment, will free Lucifer."


~*~*~*~*~*~


Down in the cellar, Jeff paced. There'd been no sound of fighting after they'd shut themselves inside, and Jeff was desperate to find out what had happened to the others. Another five minutes, and he'd had enough of waiting. He turned to Katie and kissed her soundly.

“What …”

“I can’t sit here, not with the boys upstairs facing God knows what.”

“We're safe if we stay put. No way are you going out there.”

“They’re my boys! How can I let them face this without me?” Jeff squeezed her arm and walked resolutely towards the stairs.

“Your boys? You’re not really John Winchester!” Katie felt like slapping her lover, but instead, she followed him. “But you’re not going out there without me.”

Chad and Andy crowded round the bottom of the stairs, clutching the weapons they’d been given, watching fearfully as Jeff pulled open the door.

“No way, stay here with the boys. You’re not really some bad assed demon.”

“No, she’s not.” Four sets of eyes turned to look at the figure of Genevieve standing in the now open doorway, her hands on her hips. “But I am.”

She smirked and her eyes turned white and there was a millisecond before all four actors began screaming.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Jensen surged to his feet at Theo's revelation, but his tirade never made it out as the sound of footsteps came closer and Jeff, Gabe and Chad threw themselves into the room.

“It was Genevieve all along. Fuck! And she's got Katie.”

Jeff kicked out at a chair and sent it skidding over the floor.

"I couldn't stay down there, not knowing what had happened and as soon as I pulled the door open, she grabbed Katie, and slammed it shut again. By the time we got it open, they were gone."

“Genevieve? As in Ruby Genevieve?” Déjà vu hit Jensen like a punch to the gut. “Damn. We have to get them back.”

"Them?"

"They took Jared."

"Christ." Jeff ran a hand over his face.

“I know, and we will, but we can’t go in alone, there’s too many of them.”

“I can’t leave them there, Theo, we have to save them.” Jensen looked as determined as Dean ever had when Sam was in danger. “Jared's my friend and I can’t stand by and let them have him. He … he means too much to me.”

“He does?” Theo croaked as he examined his bandaged hand. “I thought you guys hadn’t spoken for years.”

“What difference does that make? We had a fight, a misunderstanding, but that doesn’t mean …”

“Doesn’t mean what?"

“Doesn’t mean I don’t care about him, don’t … love him.”

“You love him?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. I love Jared. Got a problem with that, hunter boy?” Jensen bristled and glanced round at everyone in the room.

They all shook their heads, really not having a problem with Jensen's revelation.

"So what else does the prophecy say?"

"I don't know."

"Theo ..."

"I don't, okay? Eric is in the middle east right now, has been for months, trying to track down a full copy of it."

"We're screwed." Chad whined and sat down on the floor with a thud.

"We're not screwed!" Jensen yelled at no-one in particular. "We're getting them back, and no-one is gonna die!"

"And just how the hell do we go up against a small army of demons?" Now it was Gabe's turn to freak.

"We just need a plan! We just need ..."

A blinding light filled the room. Jensen shielded his eyes and when the light ebbed, he peeked through his fingers at the man who was standing where no-one was a moment earlier.

“Misha?”

Misha turned to face him, a lazy grin on his face.

"Fuck, dude, what the hell? How did you get here?" Jensen yelled, then wrapped his arms around his friend.

“I’ve got wings, man!” Misha's grin widened. “Technically, they aren’t mine, but he lets me use them now and then for important stuff like emergency pizza runs and saving the world. Hey Theo, Eric says hi.”

“Who lets you use them?” Jensen asked. Misha was definitely out there, but this seemed a little off the wall even for him.

“The good fairy. Wanna meet him?”

Jensen just gaped, thinking it might not be a good idea to say yes, but then Misha looked at him again, and Jensen knew he wasn’t looking at Misha any more. Steady eyes looked back at him.

“Hello, Jensen.”

"You're not Misha."

“He is with me, Jensen.”

“And you are …?” Jensen glanced sideways at Theo.

“Jensen, meet Castiel. He’s one of the good guys.”

“He’s real?”

“Well, he’s not an angel of the Lord, but he’s real, alright.”

“So … what are you?”

“I let Misha call me his good fairy. It amuses him.”

“Oh. And you can help?”

“I can aid you. Eric found the scroll, but you must find the strength inside yourself to save Jared.”

“Tell me.” Jensen asked and Theo felt proud of him.

“The problem with prophecy is that it can always be interpreted to suit a cause.” Jensen couldn’t help but be fascinated at the sight of a real life higher being talking through his usually freaky friend. “The translation the cult has used for centuries left out the parts that didn’t suit it’s purposes. It needed it’s followers to be convinced that this way, there could only be one result. But that is not the case. In the recently unearthed copies of the codex, it clearly states that during the final ritual which requires both the Summoner, that is Jared, and the Vessel, which is you, Jensen, the outcome depends on you both. The Vessel must stab the Summoner through the heart with the obsidian knife."

"Stab Jared through the heart?" Jensen stared at Castiel. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Their methods of persuasion are not pretty. But if you had gone into this blindly, as the cult wished, you would never have known there was a choice involved, a decision to open the door and free the beast, or to seal it once and for all. If the ritual is performed with despair, the door will open and the beast will feast on the dead flesh of the Summoner and take the Vessel for it’s own. But if it is performed with love, that love will forever seal the beast where he belongs.”

“Love? Will save the world?”

“Your love, Jensen, and Jared's. You had to admit it to yourself before you could use it as a weapon.”

“You want me to use love as a weapon? But … the ritual involves killing Jared. You’re telling me I have to kill him, but with love, and everything will be okay? But he’ll be dead anyway. No. How about I don’t kill him at all? Not with love or despair. No killing at all. Sounds good to me.”

“If the ritual is performed with love, Jared will not die.”

“Are you 100% certain about that? No margin for error? No doubt at all that if I do this your way, he’ll survive?”

“As far as I can be in a world of uncertainties, yes.”

“That’s no answer when his life is on the line!”

“It’s the only answer I can give you and Jared’s only chance of surviving this. If the ritual is not performed, do you think they will let him live?”

“Why us? How come some dude thousands of years ago was able to sit down and prophesied what was gonna happen to our lives. Hell, the US hadn’t even been discovered!”

“It was a woman. She was a seer in the temple of Artemis and she foretold that the ruler of Hades could be freed if certain rituals and rites were performed in certain ways at certain times. The prophecy spoke through her and she wept as she wrote down the words, shamed that she should be the one to let this into the world. She was heartened by the duality of it, the uncertainty. And she made sure that the possibilities for stopping the event were recorded as well as the event itself. Nothing could be changed, she foretold. The Summoner and the Vessel had roles to play that they could not escape no matter how hard they tried, but they could shape those roles, influence the outcome.

It was no great thing for those that followed her who saw the prophecy as a way to bring forth the dark lord, to leave out the possibility for future generations to read. In in so doing so, they gave us the advantage. If you have the courage to do this, to go through with it, but with the warmth of love in your heart, you will prevail. It is the only way.”

"Can't you do something? Use your ... fairy power to get them out of there?" Jensen clutched at straws.

Castiel shook his head.

"You are the only one with the power to stop this now, Jensen. It was always you."

Castiel sagged, and Misha put his hand on Jensen’s shoulder.

“Tough call man, but I know you can do it.”

“So.” Jensen looked at Theo. “Explain to me how I’m supposed to do this.”

“Well first, you need to get yourself caught.”


~*~*~*~*~*~


Don and the hulking stranger dragged Jensen into the low ceilinged room.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” He writhed and bucked in their grasp until Don pushed him violently against the wall and punched him in the face. Jensen sagged and they dragged him on.

“Don’t damage the merchandise too much, your boss will be pissed.” He mumbled through blood spattered lips.

“You’re not important, remember that.” Don told him. “The only purpose you serve is giving Him a vessel to inhabit. Then you’ll live out the rest of your life locked in your own head, able to see everything he does in the name of hell but powerless to do anything about it. You’ll either see the light or go insane. Either way, you don’t matter anymore, Jensen.”

“He matters to me.” Jared’s voice was full of pain, and Jensen’s head whipped around.

“Jay?”

Then he spotted his friend hanging by his wrists from a beam at the end of the room. He was naked, and his body was covered in ugly bruises.

“Jared! No!”

“Get your hands off him.” Jared weakly threatened their captors.

“Or you’ll what?” Don laughed heartily and Jensen found the strength to aim a knee to his groin. It hit with less force than he would have liked, but Don still winced and then backhanded Jensen.

Don strode over to Jared and pulled his head back. “You’re nothing but a sacrifice, boy, you’re here to give your blood to the cause, so enjoy what’s left of your sad life while it lasts.”

“It’s time.” Genevieve strode into the room dragging Katie with her by the hair. Jensen could see bruises on Katie's face, but she spat like a wildcat at Genevieve and tried her best to claw at her. Genevieve pushed her towards two demons on the edge of the circle and grinned over at Jared. “Missed me Sammy?” Her eyes turned white as she stared at him.

“You?” Jared stared at Genevieve, open mouthed.

“What’s wrong, baby? Still can’t see what’s right in front of your face? Why do you think I wanted to play Ruby? It got me close to you and lover boy there.”

Don pushed Jensen closer, and Jensen saw a demon holding a cruel black knife.

"The hunter no doubt filled you in on your purpose. You kill him, and the world becomes ours."

“Why do you think I’d voluntarily kill my best friend?”

“I’m your best friend?” Jared whispered weakly from where he hung.

“Yeah, bitch, you are.”

“Jerk.” Jared mumbled.

“Can we please just get on with it?” Genevieve rolled her eyes. “Your incentive, Jenny boy, is that he’s going to die one way or another. This way, you can make it clean and quick. Otherwise, I’ll skin him alive while you watch. Piece by piece by piece.” She whispered in his ear and then took a knife from her pocket and sliced into Jared’s skin, just above a nipple. A shallow cut that made him whimper helplessly. “He’s already lost a lot of blood, but I can keep him alive for days, cutting and hurting him, making him beg and scream for death. The choice is yours.”

“If I do this, hell comes to earth. If I don’t, it doesn’t.”

“So don't." Genevieve shrugged, and pulled and twisted at the strip if skin on Jared's chest, scratching a nail into the raw flesh below it until he howled in pain and passed out. "All you can do here and now is make sure Jared doesn’t suffer any more than he needs to.”

Jensen let out a strangled sob, full of despair and Genevieve smiled and began to chant.

Jensen threw himself bodily at Jared, his body wracked with sobs. He buried his face in his friend’s neck and whispered in his ear.

“Jay?”

Jared hung limply and Jensen silently screamed. It couldn’t be too late, he wouldn’t let it be too late.

“Jared, please.”

There was too much blood, way too much, but he needed to get his friend’s attention.

“Sammy? Sammy I need you to listen.”

“D … Dean?” Jared tried to raise his head, but couldn’t manage it all the way.

“Yeah, Sammy, it’s me. Whatever happens, you have to trust me, okay? Might not seem sane,” It certainly didn’t to him. “But it’s the only chance we’ve got. Got that bro? I need you to follow my lead.”

“’kay Dean.”

“Stay with me, man, just a little longer, okay?”

“’kay.”

Don wrenched him back, and placed the knife in his hands. Bound as he was, there wasn’t a chance of using it to free himself or lunge at Don or any of the others. So he steeled himself and hoped beyond hope that the good fairy knew what it was talking about.

He thought of Jared, the way his friend cared for him, loved him, and how Jensen loved him back. He thought of the last time he’d kissed him, a kiss full of hope in the midst of so much confusion, and held onto that hope, that love as he raised the knife and plunged it into Jared’s heart with a yell.

Katie screamed and the world around them seemed to pulse, to expand and contract. There was a heavy booming sound that hurt Jensen’s ears and when he looked up, the demons that had surrounded them were gone.

He felt another pulse, weaker than it should be. The pulse of Jared’s heart radiating along the hilt of the knife and Jensen’s resolve almost failed but he held onto hope and slowly pulled out the knife. He’d expected spurts of blood, expected there to be no pulse when he put his fingers to Jared’s neck, but it was there. Weak and thready, but it was still there.

Jensen slid his hands up Jared’s arms to try and reach the ropes that held him fast, but other hands were already there, and arms wrapped around him and lowered him to the floor.

Jensen almost panicked until his vision cleared and he recognized the people around him.

“Misha?”

“It’s going to be okay, Jen. Hang in there.”

“But … Jared?”

Jeff got to Jared first and with Matt’s help, cut him down.

“Hey dad, it’s good to see you.” Jared slurred.

“Dad?”

“He thinks he’s Sam.”

“Oh, okay.” Jeff eased Jared down onto the floor. “Sammy, I need you to look at me, son, need to see that you’re alright.”

Jared’s head rolled back a little and one eye cracked open. “Dad? Where’s Dean?”

“He’s here, Sammy, he’s gonna be okay but I need you to stay awake, stay with me. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, Dad. I can do that …”

Part Four