[AU] two worlds, a lot of demons, and a new set of problems

[gavemea_45]

It's still hard to believe it's over; that the yellow-eyed demonic bastard they'd spent their whole lives hunting is finally dead.

Sam figures it'll sink in eventually. Given everything else -- right now he's still pretty numb.

He's also desperately tired, but that doesn't matter. There's something he needs to do, and he can't afford to delay.

He waits until they've settled in for the night, and then waits still longer. Once Dean's been asleep for half an hour, Sam picks up his messenger bag -- already stuffed with books and his computer -- and heads straight for the bar.

He orders black coffee and snags a table with a good view of both doors and the stairs, then pulls out the first of the old texts and starts to search through it.

There's work to do.

Comments

[totalitarstupetballs]

"In Canada, they're 'Girl Guides,'" Waverly says, primly. "And no, I wasn't."

Mostly because there was no Purgatory chapter, but that's neither here nor there. She sets the truck in drive and pulls away from the curb, heading out of town and onto one of the long, lonely roads that winds through the prairie and towards the woods.

[gavemea_45]

"Pretty remote," Sam observes, watching the landscape as they pass. "I guess that explains why your revenants stick so close. Wynonna mentioned some kind of trailer park?"

He ignores the look Dean shoots him.

[totalitarstupetballs]

"That, and they can't cross the boundary of the Ghost River Triangle."

She makes a turn onto another road, bringing them further outside of town, her jaw tightening. "The trailer park, yeah. Bobo's collected a whole bunch of them out there."

[gavemea_45]

"Bobo?" Sam asks. He can practically see the steam coming from his brother's ears as he fumes, but Dean's keeping it locked down for the moment in favor of gathering information.

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Bobo Del Rey."

Her imaginary friend. She can still hear his whispers. I will never hurt my angel.

She presses her lips together, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. "He's kind of become the leader of the revenants. A bunch of them, anyway. He's been having them on work crews, digging for something."

[gavemea_45]

"Question." Dean's teeth are gritted, Sam notices, and resigns himself to the fight they'll have when they get back. "There some reason he's still walkin' around?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Because every time he's been close enough to shoot, he's had enough backup that they'd kill Wynonna right after."

She glances at Dean in the mirror, her eyes serious. "No offense, but you don't know the lay of the land here."

[gavemea_45]

"Peacemaker's not like the Colt - our Colt, I mean," Sam explains, quietly. "Instead of having limited ammunition, it's limited in who can use it to kill a demon or revenant. Only one person can... Wyatt Earp's heir. And that's Wynonna."

Dean stares at him. "Only one? What happens if someone kills one of them without it?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"They don't die."

Her voice is quiet and calm, but there's a thread of strain beneath it. "They can get hurt, but only Peacemaker puts them down. And only the heir can use Peacemaker."

[gavemea_45]

"Basically, this curse is a real piece of work," Sam murmurs. "The good news is that there's some kind of barrier around the whole Ghost River Triangle area. Doesn't look like anything else can get in. At all."

Dean lets out an explosive breath. "At least there's that. Jesus."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out," Waverly confirms. "Revenants that go outside the boundary experience hell on earth."

Her voice is quiet, almost sympathetic. "It's awful."

[gavemea_45]

Revenants here sound a lot more intentionally violent than some of the ones they've run across - Molly, for one - but from the way Waverly reacts, it's probably not an easy ending to watch.

"I guess they don't try that much."

[totalitarstupetballs]

She shakes her head. "I know Bobo had one of them dragged across the line, as punishment," she tells them.

"He was still alive after weeks, but... that's all you could say for it."

[gavemea_45]

Dean lets out a low whistle. Sam tries very hard not to imagine if hell on earth is literal or not here, and tries even harder not to think of Dean experiencing it.

He won't. They'll find a way. Somehow.

"How many of the seventy-seven are left?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Sixty-eight," Waverly says. In the distance, a low building comes into view. "Wynonna's killed nine so far."

[gavemea_45]

"So far being the important part there," Sam says, as bracing and supportive as he can. He scans the horizon ahead and eyes the building. "Is that your place?"

[totalitarstupetballs]

"It's the Blacksmith's."

She pulls the truck to a halt a fair distance from the building, which looks like a house and shop pushed together, the yard filled with metal detritus. There's a no trespassing sign that she chooses to ignore, unbuckling herself and reaching for the skull and wine. "Let's go see what she has to say."

[gavemea_45]

"You weren't kidding about her being a loner," Dean observes. Sam slides out and shuts the passenger side door, then joins him in walking around to Waverly's side.

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Nope."

She clutches the bottle in one hand and the box in the other and starts crunching across the snow, headed toward the barn that seems to function as a workshop. As she comes nearer, the door slides open, and a dark-haired woman with an exasperated expression steps out. "You did see the "No Tresspassing" sign, didn't you?" she calls, annoyed.

"Uh – " Waverly swallows and finds her courage. "I was wondering... I need to talk with you."

The Blacksmith looks her over. "And you think an eight dollar bottle of pinot's going to make me listen?"

[gavemea_45]

"Told you we should have brought whiskey," Dean mutters. Sam resists the urge to elbow him and steps forward to Waverly's side.

"Not 'make,'" he says, with a warm, easy smile. "More as a friendly gesture."

[totalitarstupetballs]

"Uh-huh." The Blacksmith glances over Sam and Dean, sizing them up. Although she's a woman alone out here by the woods with no company but the lonely prairie, she doesn't seem afraid or worried, only annoyed. "I know she's an Earp. Second one I've seen today."

With a tip of her head toward Waverly. "Who are you?"

[gavemea_45]

"Not an Earp. I'm Sam," he says. "My brother and I are friends of Wynonna's, and Waverly too. From down south."

It's not too much of a stretch, all things considered.

[totalitarstupetballs]

The Blacksmith narrows her eyes at him, but Waverly jumps in before she can say anything else. "Please," she says. "My favorite uncle in the world just left me this."

She tips the box so the woman can see the skull inside. The Blacksmith steps forward, glance dropping to the skull, and sighs. "Curtis McCready," she says. "I shoulda known."

She turns and strides back into the workshop, gesturing for them to follow. "Hurry up."

[gavemea_45]

He trades a swift look with Dean. "Looks like she definitely knows something," he murmurs, as they move to follow Waverly inside.

[totalitarstupetballs]

The Blacksmith jerks her chin at a table, over which hangs a series of antique cattle prods. "Take off your coat," she tells Waverly. Inside, the shop is almost uncomfortably warm from the fire blazing off to one side, so Waverly does as she's asked, watching as the Blacksmith goes to stoke the flames with a poker, muttering to herself as she does.

"Come here," she says, finally, and motions for Waverly to kneel near the fire. "Set that skull here."

Here being a small table made of hammers, their heads pointed inward. Waverly sets the skull atop the metal circle they make, and, at the Blacksmith's gesture, puts her hand on top of the skull.