[AU] dark gonna catch me here

[gavemea_45]

Not two seconds after the door closed, Dean started demanding answers. Sam explained pretty much everything, although he glossed over the part where Wynonna'd threatened to shoot him, and for the most part Dean took it pretty well.

Until he made the suggestion of bringing Wynonna - and Peacemaker - to a crossroads and forcing the demon there to give up Dean's contract.

By the time the fight's over, Sam's certain of two things. First, that Dean's not willing to listen to reason because he doesn't want to risk Sam. And second, that he's not going to let his brother go to hell.

He makes sure Dean thinks he's asleep first, and waits until he hears his brother start snoring... then waits another half hour to make sure. Once he's certain Dean's not faking, Sam sneaks out and borrows the Impala.

There's a crossroads three miles north, an isolated one with an abandoned gas station nearby that he can use to get to the bar.

It'll do.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

"I can also be pissed at more than one person." Dean gives Wynonna a flat look. "And you don't owe us any favors."

"Dean--"

"Not here," his brother interrupts. "Save it for five minutes. Then you better be ready to talk."

[pacificator]

Not anymore. But she gets the feeling they'll be trading favors back and forth like baseball cards. Wynonna shrugs and comes closer.

"Either way, can we get out of the damn parking lot?"

[gavemea_45]

"Like I said. Come on in." Dean gives Sam a level stare, silently ordering him not to argue.

Sam looks at Wynonna. "Go on," he murmurs. "We'll reopen the door to the bar once we're all inside."

[pacificator]

She shrugs, and makes her way past Dean and into the motel room, which smells like industrial cleaner and boy.

Sam's brother gets a lingering glance as she moves by. He's cute, in a square-jawed, pretty boy kind of way. Too bad this won't be the fun kind of visit.

[gavemea_45]

She sizes him up as she walks past, and Dean can't help but appreciate her confident, rolling stride. Too bad she's hip-deep in the mess Sammy's making.

Damn it, he'd told him --

He stops right there before the fear that's clenching his gut can rise up to choke him. Dean waits for Sam to come inside, then closes the door. Hard.

When he yanks it open again, the sound and bustle of the bar comes through.

[pacificator]

This time, she walks past the bar itself and towards one of the booths in the far corner, where there aren't so many patrons sitting around waiting to listen in. Wynonna slides into one seat, then shifts to lounge in the corner against booth and wall, one leg slung up on the seat, and waits for the brothers.

[gavemea_45]

Dean jerks his head sideways to indicate Sam should slide in first. There's no point in arguing, although he recognizes that he's being deliberately cornered. Sam swallows a sigh and scoots across the booth bench, then gives Wynonna a speaking look while Dean takes his own seat, hoping she'll be discreet.

"So," Dean says, breaking the momentary silence. "Talk."

[pacificator]

"So the skull was the from the Stone Witch's son, right?"

She knows she's walking a fine line, but she'd never promised to tell Dean the whole story of why she'd been in his world with Sam. He'd asked about Waverly, so that's what she'll tell him. "Turns out she's been excavating for their skeletons. Something something raising them back up from the great beyond, whatever. Mom of the year."

[gavemea_45]

Dean rolls his eyes at that. "Oh yeah, she's a real prize-winner." Sam thinks he manages to keep any surprise from showing, and just listens.

As he does, he catches the eye of a waitrat and tips his head back to signal for it to come over when it can.

[pacificator]

"Just so you know, I got all this story second-hand from Waverly after the fact," Wynonna tells them. She stretches her legs along the booth seat and crosses one boot over the other. "So who knows if I've got all the details. She kicked me off the homestead so she could throw an engagement party."

[gavemea_45]

Sam startles. "Wait, she's engaged?" Dean gives him a curious look.

[pacificator]

"What? No."

The expression on Wynonna's face eloquently expresses how she'd feel about that possibility of her baby sister marrying the sentient rodeo belt buckle, Champ. "I think she just broke up with the idiot she was dating. She was just hosting for a friend."

Wynonna peers at him, trying to determine if he's happier about that news than she would have expected. She didn't get much of a read on what Waverly thought about him, but she's got to admit he'd be an improvement on Champ.

[gavemea_45]

Now they're both looking at him. Sam stares back. "What?" he says, a little defensively. "I was surprised, that's all. She'd said she'd broken up with her boyfriend."

[pacificator]

She frowns at him, then shrugs. "I guess at some point the Stone Bitch showed up at the Blacksmith's and got information out of her," she says, a little flat.

"She made it to the homestead to try and warn Waverly, but bled out in the barn. Sucks to be her."

[gavemea_45]

"Or did," Dean observes. His gaze narrows a little. "Lemme guess. She led the witch right to her."

[pacificator]

"Yeah."

Her fingers flex and close before she shrugs. "Sorry, I'm all out of prizes to give you."

[gavemea_45]

"You can buy me another drink later." Dean eyes her closely. "But you said she's okay, right?"

She'd also said she didn't like owing anyone favors, and had followed Sam into their world. His glance swings to his little brother. "Anything you wanna tell me about?"

Sam glances at Wynonna, and Dean feels his jaw tighten. The kid never was real good at hiding stuff from him, not when it mattered.

[pacificator]

"Yeah. Doc was there."

Because Waverly had apparently invited him to live on the homestead. They're going to have to have some words about that when Wynonna gets back. "From what I can tell, the Stone Witch sent a bunch of thugs onto the homestead to try and take the skull. At least one of them got stabbed in the head and reanimated."

Had he been alive before? She's not really sure. "Anyway, Waverly broke the damn thing against a wall. So."

[gavemea_45]

"Good. She should have smashed it in the first place or let us take care of it," Dean says. "Reanimated? Zombies?"

He glances at Sam again, who shrugs. "Not sure. Could be."

[pacificator]

Wynonna shrugs, too. "Either way, the bitch lives to be a pain in my ass another day."

She grimaces. "Also, they got Stephanie – one of Waverly's friends."

[gavemea_45]

"Shit. Captive? Or worse?" As Dean asks it, a waitrat scurries up and squeaks inquisitively at them.

[pacificator]

"Bourbon," Wynonna orders, and waits for Sam and Dean to do the same and the rat to scuffle off before she shakes her head at them.

"Snapped her neck like a twig."

[gavemea_45]

"Make that two," Dean orders, and Sam nods. "Three."

The long-suffering rat hurries off, and Sam meets Wynonna's eyes. "I'm sorry," he murmurs.

[pacificator]

"Yeah, well."

She thinks about her own interactions with Stephanie. "She sucked hardcore, but she probably didn't deserve to die."

[gavemea_45]

That 'probably' says a lot, Sam thinks, but he gets distracted almost immediately when Dean asks, "Yeah. So is that why you showed up with Sammy? Need backup goin' after this witch of yours?"