The waiting game's one of the hardest to play

[gavemea_45]

He hates stitching himself up. He hates it even more when it's after a clusterfuck like this. If they hadn't thrown themselves through the window, the way things were going, that goddamn Alastair would have smashed them like bugs.

And Dean had recognized him.

One thing at a time.

Sam hisses a curse under his breath as he shoves the needle through his flesh, and grimly ties off the next knot.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

For some reason, Sam twitches at that, and glances guiltily away.

"No. Um, I don't think that was why, I mean."

A long beat, and he meets Dean's eyes again.

"She said she could help. She said--"

"--she said she could help me kill Lilith."

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean's eyes do not fall out of his head.

There is a vein throbbing at his temple, but that's par for the course these days.

He keeps breathing.

"Kill -- yeah, because that worked so well last time."

Okay, here comes the grimace.

Because of all the things he never wanted to know --

"She tell you this before or after you were makin' the beast with two backs?"

Look, Sam's his little brother. He's known the bastard almost all of both of their lives.

Boy's got tells. Dean's not gonna miss 'em.

[gavemea_45]

"That was only once!"

Sam scrubs a hand over his face.

"It was once," he repeats, quieter. "And she told me about Lilith before, anyway. When we -- it had nothing to do with that."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Only once? Dude. Sammy."

College-boy.

You're supposed to be the smart one.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

[gavemea_45]

"Hey, it's not like you never did the one-night thing!" Sam snaps at him.

[hopeitsworthit]

"Not with a goddamn demon!"

Someone here is pissed.

That someone's name is probably Dean Winchester.

"And what about Mac, huh? Did you give her the sob-story brush-off so you could jump in bed with the coma patient hottie? The only one who understands your pain, or whatever bullshit emo story she convinced you into it with?"

Dean snorts.

"Give me a break."

[gavemea_45]

"It wasn't like that!" Sam yells. He jerks to his feet and stalks across the room to stand by the window, looking out through the cheap drapes at the parking lot.




"But yeah, I broke up with Mac. Before."

A beat.

"Or I thought I had. I didn't know it'd only been a week for them."

He gives Dean a flat look.

"And I didn't do it because of Ruby, I did it before she ever showed up. I did it because I knew I was never gonna see Mac again, and when I -- when she heard about Cold Oak, she -- I didn't want her to have to go through that again, so--"

[hopeitsworthit]

"You're a fucking dumbass."

Yeah, right now that's all Dean's got.

Even if people in giant glass houses shouldn't be throwin' rocks.

[gavemea_45]

"Yeah. I know."


Despite everything, the slightest hint of a smile appears.

"Mac said the same thing."

[hopeitsworthit]

Yeah. Okay.

That's enough of that.

Dean pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing deep.

"I really hope you aren't screwing us over here, Sam. You think you know what you're doing, you think Ruby's on the side of the -- of us. But dude. She's a demon."

Oh Sammy, you don't even know from demons.

"They ain't exactly out for anyone but themselves."

[gavemea_45]

"There's more to it than that," Sam insists.

"She worked with me, okay? Helped me develop my abilities, so that I could take down demons. So that I could take down Lilith, when we found her."

There's no need to mention how she helped him, he reasons. Dean doesn't need to know about his drinking demon blood. Besides, it's not like he's going to keep doing that-- right? Right.

A beat.

"And then one day, we did."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Yeah, your abilities."

Dean turns that into a dirty word.

Almost as dirty a word as the name he isn't about to say.

"Wait. What the hell? You found her? And you're still here?"

Bullshit.

[gavemea_45]

He doesn't bother arguing; they both know all too well how Dean feels about Sam's powers.

Not that Sam himself is all that fond of them most of the time, either, but that's beside the point.

"I thought I had. There were these signs -- omens and things -- I was sure she was in town. And I wanted to go after her."

He looks out the window again, then back at Dean.

"Ruby realized I wasn't planning on surviving it. She called me on it. The things she said -- it's like what you would have said. Like you were there chewing me out." A flicker of a smile, but the look in his eyes is serious. "Kinda like you're doing now."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Okay, that's kinda gross."

And not just because Sam and Ruby humped like weasels.

Though, you know, that plays a pretty big part.

"Anyway."

[gavemea_45]

Sam gives him a look.


"Anyway," he says, pointedly, "she helped. She saved my life, she taught me, and she came back for me when I went after Lilith anyway -- and yeah, it turned out not being Lilith, it was some other demons, but Ruby put herself on the line to help."

"We can trust her, Dean. I'm sure of it."

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean's always known Sam's stubborn, and he's gotta have his nose rubbed in his fuck-ups in order to get that he's screwed up.

Which is why he sighs, scrubbing one hand through his hair.

"Yeah, Sam. Just remember, it's your ass on the line when she fucks us over."

And it's gonna be Dean's job to make sure that doesn't happen.

No way. No how.

Not on his watch.

[gavemea_45]

"She won't," Sam insists. "You'll see. Soon, even. Right now she's got Anna stashed away safe somewhere. We've just got to wait to hear from her."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Right. Waiting."

Sure.

And while you're at it, Dean's got this bridge . . .

[gavemea_45]

"Yes, waiting," he returns.

"And while we're waiting--"

A sharp knock at the door interrupts him.

"Housekeeping!"

[hopeitsworthit]

"What the -- "

Dean shares a bewildered look with Sam, then heads for the door.

"Dude, isn't it kind of late for -- "

When it turns out to actually be Ruby, Dean wishes he were at all surprised.

Demons are always tricky bastards.

He knows it well. Just right now he can't figure out the trick.

But it'll come. It always has before.