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May. 6th, 2011 08:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gavemea_45He wakes up before the alarm clock. It doesn't matter.
It's just another day.
Sam puts one hand behind his head, under the pillow, and lies still, staring at the ceiling.
It's just another day.
Sam puts one hand behind his head, under the pillow, and lies still, staring at the ceiling.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:27 am (UTC)Someone else seems to be an early riser.
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:33 am (UTC)(Come to think of it, maybe she is.)
"Just a second," Sam calls, as he throws back the covers and gets out of bed. He pulls on his jeans, then walks over to the unlocked door and opens it.
"Hi."
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:36 am (UTC)Ruby walks past him and into the room.
She turns on her heel to face him. There's a paper bag in one hand.
"Breakfast," she says, passing it over to him.
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:40 am (UTC)He unfolds the top of the bag and pulls out a travel-topped cup of coffee and a foil-wrapped breakfast sandwich, then offers it back to her.
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:43 am (UTC)She gestures to the dagger at her waist.
"You're going to need your strength for today's itinerary."
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:47 am (UTC)"Yeah?"
Sam moves over to stand by the rickety table on one side of the room, where his computer lies, and puts the coffee down beside it as he starts to unwrap the sandwich.
"You got something particular in mind?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 02:58 am (UTC)She crumples the paper bag and easily tosses it into the trash-bin.
It's her way of doing her part for the environment, really.
"You've been getting better. But why stop there?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:00 am (UTC)"I'm not trying to stop anywhere -- I'm in this all the way, to the end. Until she's dead."
Or he is.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:02 am (UTC)Just like he wants.
Just like she wants.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:05 am (UTC)"... okay. Okay. You're right."
Dryly, Sam adds,
"But in that case, I don't suppose you brought back a handful of aspirin to go with the coffee?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:08 am (UTC)Ruby smiles.
"You'll be fine, Sam. We'll just take it slow at first and work our way up. A small warm-up."
She reaches into her back pocket. It's a news clipping; a story that shows all the tell-tale signs of a demon infestation.
"Okay?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:09 am (UTC)"Yeah."
Sam looks up from the paper to Ruby, and manages a small smile of his own.
"I am getting better at it," he says. "I think I am, anyway."
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:13 am (UTC)"It's not bad, Sam. Not bad at all."
She idly starts pacing again.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:15 am (UTC)It's not really a question.
Sam sets the clipping on the table by his computer and eases himself into the mended chair. He flips the lid open with one hand and reaches for his coffee with the other.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:18 am (UTC)Besides, he knows the answer. He doesn't need her to reaffirm anything.
She pauses by the window area, glancing out through the boards at the oncoming morning.
It's already getting brighter.
"There's a lot you miss when you're down there," she says conversationally.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:21 am (UTC)The look in his eyes darkens. Sam downs half of the coffee, then sets it aside and stares at the computer with grim determination.
"Shouldn't take us long to find this one," he mutters. "Scout the area, then..."
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:24 am (UTC)"Then find the demons and work your magic," Ruby finishes, turning back to look at him. "So eat up, Sam."
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:31 am (UTC)The rest of the coffee sits on the table by the partially-eaten egg sandwich, but that's not where his glance goes.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:34 am (UTC)"Or maybe we're just not feeding you the right thing," she says, calmly.
Her hand goes for her waist where her dagger stays fastened.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:42 am (UTC)Even though he knows it's wrong, he's less reluctant these days than he used to be. Sam ignores that too. He doesn't want to think about the fact that some part of himself likes how it makes him feel, even craves it.
And it's not like what it might do to him matters anyway, is it? What matters is being able to get Lilith. That's all that counts.
"You're sure it helps, right?" he says.
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:53 am (UTC)The dagger is in her hand now, the cold metal gently touching her bare forearm.
"It helps you focus, doesn't it? Gives you strength?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:54 am (UTC)"... yeah," Sam admits, reluctantly. "It does."
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:56 am (UTC)"Drink to your health," she says softly, then lets the dagger slide across her skin.
Little beads of blood rise from beneath the wound, gathering until it could spill over.
Go on, Sam.
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Date: 2011-05-07 04:01 am (UTC)Sam reaches out with both hands, supporting her arm even as he curls his fingers possessively around it and raises it just a little higher.
Just enough so that he can bend his head over the cut, licking up the dark red runnels of blood before he presses his mouth to her skin and begins to drink in earnest.
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Date: 2011-05-07 04:11 am (UTC)She smiles very, very faintly.
And she doesn't pull away or move an inch until he's finished.
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Date: 2011-05-07 04:12 am (UTC)"Okay," he murmurs.
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Date: 2011-05-07 11:53 am (UTC)"Good.
"Ready to go?"
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Date: 2011-05-07 03:35 pm (UTC)He rises in a single smooth, swift motion, snags a shirt from his neatly-packed duffel, then pulls it on and reaches for his shoes.
Seconds later he's also collected his cell phone, gun, and knife in its sleeve sheath. Sam swings on a jacket and nods to her.
"Ready."
The whole process has taken under three minutes.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:01 pm (UTC)Demon blood definitely gave him a boost, didn't it.
"Let's go, then."
Leading the way, she heads toward the door.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:09 pm (UTC)The door swings shut behind them.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:12 pm (UTC)There are a number of good rooms to use, but they choose to put him in the room with devil's traps already drawn up and all necessary equipment ready to go.
"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she says.
It's unclear whom she's speaking to; it can really be either the demon, or Sam.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:15 pm (UTC)"Shut up."
Sam's order is given in a tone that's absolutely flat and colder than arctic ice. He stands still, hands at his sides, watching the demon.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:19 pm (UTC)Oh, if only she could, she'd extend that exact courtesy to this demon.
But that's not the point of this.
She shifts her gaze to Sam, both grateful and approving.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:21 pm (UTC)"Why? Whatcha gonna do to me, Winchester, exorcise me? Go ahead." It sneers. "Soon as I get back down inside, I'll drop by where your brother's hanging around and tell him you said hi."
Sam's fists clench.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:25 pm (UTC)She walks around, keeping a safe distance from the devil's trap, to where she can get a better view of the events yet to unfold.
"Another word and you won't make it downstairs."
She shows him her dagger for illustrative purposes.
"Go ahead, Sam."
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:26 pm (UTC)After a second or two, he takes a deep breath and raises his hand, concentrating on the demon.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:28 pm (UTC)At first, nothing seems to happen.
Then the demon begins to cough black smoke from his mouth.
All the while, she remains ready in case she needs to be Sam's back-up.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:32 pm (UTC)The muscles in his arm begin to tremble with the effort, and his face twists in pain.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:43 pm (UTC)And Ruby is sure Sam is going to get it this time.
She almost wills it to happen.
Just a little more, Sammy. Just a little longer.
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Date: 2011-05-07 08:54 pm (UTC)A sharp metallic spike of agony stabs through him, and he clutches the side of his head with his free hand as the blood begins to pour from his nose.
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Date: 2011-05-07 09:45 pm (UTC)It's starting to become clear that Sam might not have the mojo necessary to finish the job.
Ruby narrows her eyes, her hand tightening over the dagger. Then she moves in a step, a silent offer to take the demon out for Sam.
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Date: 2011-05-08 01:53 am (UTC)Even as the groan tears out of him, Sam shakes his head. Fury surges at the thing's laughter, followed by a swell of pure hate.
"I told you to shut up, you goddamn demonic bastard--"
His outstretched hand stiffens into a claw, and Sam yells aloud as pain rips its way through him again--
--and then stares, as black smoke fountains upward out of the demon's mouth and pours down to the floor around him, twisting and spitting sulfurous licks of flame before it burns away and is gone.
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Date: 2011-05-08 03:24 am (UTC)Only once the demon's been exorcised - properly - does she lower her weapon.
And for a moment, her eyes don't leave the man's slumped over form.
He -
He actually did it.
Now, she turns her attention to Sam.
"You handled that well," she says. A slow smile starts across her features. "How are you feeling?"
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Date: 2011-05-08 03:28 am (UTC)Sam wipes the blood away from his nose with the back of his hand. Despite the headache, despite the blood, despite everything, he's grinning back at her.
"But right now, I'd have to say it's worth it."
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Date: 2011-05-08 03:39 am (UTC)He did it.
(He can do this.
He can kill Lilith.)
Her heart quickens with something one can only call excitement.
"Oh, it's definitely worth it," she says, sheathing her dagger. "Think of all the people you can save, doing this.
"And Lilith - well, she won't even know what hit her."