Chapter 13 - Brother's Keeper

We are back at the bunker, after the angel rang us. Dean went on a rampage and killed all the Stynes. They invaded the bunker, attempting to kill us and destroy the legacy of the Men of Letters. Dean killed every last one of them. He then got into physical fight with Cas and left.


We are in an random room of the bunker. On the table in front of Sam is a laptop, which has the code Charlie cracked before she was murdered. Next to it is the set up he has to make witch killing bullets.


"Anything?" Cas asks as we walk in.


"Twelve voicemails. Lo-jack on the impala has clearly been disabled... so a big heaping scoop of nothing." Sam mutters angrily, his eyes focused on the bullet in his hand, "We need Rowena to hold up her end of the bargain, now."


I notice Cas rolling his eyes in the corner of mine and Sam glares at him, "What?"


"Nothing. It's... it's just, if she removes the mark using the Book of the Damned, what of the consequences?" Cas asks, making a very valid point.


"Which are what?" Sam asks, his tone harsh.


"Dean said-" Cas begins, but Sam cuts him off, "Dean guessed!"


Sam sighs, shaking his head, "Cas, what are we supposed to do, huh? Just sit on our asses? Do nothing?"


Cas steps forward and shakes his head, "No, we find Dean."


"And then what? The only thing that stopped Cain was death. Do you wanna kill Dean? Because I don't. And the only way I know how to save my brother is to cure the mark. And yes, I know there will be consequences. But not you, not Dean, not anybody can tell me what those consequences are. So I'm not gonna let my brother destroy himself on a guess." He states, his voice filled with love and passion for his brother.


He let's out a sigh, "We save Dean."


This is what I was scared of, the drive to save his brother at all costs. This could mean something terrible comes after, but to him as long as it saves Dean it doesn't matter. I see the desperation in his eyes, the pleading as he looks to me.


And if it was anyone else, I'd fight them on this. But it's Dean, the man I consider a brother. Who has helped me through so much. And it's Sam, the love of my life. And I can't stand to see him hurting like this. So I give a single nod of my head, "We save Dean."


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I follow my fiancé and the angel into the abandoned warehouse where we have been working together these past couple of days. We walk into the room as quietly as possible, spotting the witch sitting at a table. In her hands is a disposable cup, with steamy tea that passes her lips as she sips.


"Hello, darlings. Just in time for tea." She says, not glancing towards us, "Unless something on your mind?"


"Five things actually." Sam says, cocking the revolver and gestures to it, "Hollow tips filled with witch killing brew."


"How exciting for you. Your NRA will be beside themselves with pride." Rowena murmurs, glancing towards him.


"No more games, Rowena. Do the spell now." Sam demands.


"Or what exactly?" She asks, taking out the tea bag and placing it in the table.


She rises to her angrily, as she glares at him "Come on, Samuel. You and I both know that's nothing but a bluff. Charlie may have cracked the codex, but who's going to read it if I'm gone? Not to mention handling the ingredients, getting the measurements just right. Unless of course, either of you have spent years of your life studying the greats, mastering the intricacies of high witch craft. But forgive me, maybe you have."


She takes another sip of the drink, calmer than before, "I know you're upset. We all are. Poor Dean. Let's just have a nice wee cup of tea and negotiate."


"What do you want?" I ask, looking her right in the eye.


"Oh, well... we know what I wanted. Soiled the sheets on that one, didn't we?" She says, glancing Sam's way before looking to me, "Let's talk about what I'll take. My freedom, guaranteed and the codex."


I look at her for a long moment, weighing up the pros and cons of this deal. I know she's up to something, but the image of Dean comes to mind and reminds me of how much we could lose. I feel Cas' stare on me, "Avery, you can't-"


"Do you know what spell?" I ask and she gives me a nod, "I do."


"Avery. This is a mistake." Cas says in warning, but it's too late. I look over towards Sam and I see the same look in his eye. He gives me a nod and I turn back to face the witch, "We have a deal."


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We all stand around the table as Rowena looks down at the book of the damned, reading out the foreign spell with the aid of the codex. Her eyes move away from the page towards us as she translate the words, "'Something made by God, but forbidden to man.'"


"Forbidden?" Sam asks as he paces the room anxiously.


"The forbidden fruit?" Cas ponders from his spot leaning against a table.


I scoff as I look towards the witch, "No, the actual apple is the first ingredient?"


Rowena begins to read the foreign tongue again and Sam looks to her, "Okay, what's next?"


"'Something made by man, but forbidden by God.'" She states and Sam shrugs, "Okay, well God forbade false idols, right?"


"The golden calf." Cas states and I look towards him confused, "Wasn't that destroyed?"


He gives me a nod and she reads once more, me shaking my head as I face her, "Great... what's the third ingredient?"


She looks taken aback as she looks down, "Oh."


"What?" Sam hisses, not in the mood for playing around.


"The third ingredient, it's impossible." She states and I frown at her, "What is it?"


She looks away from the book and up at me, "Loosely translated? My heart."


"That's not impossible at all." Cas says menacingly, taking a step forward. She looks over at him with a frown, "Not my literal heart, feathers. Something I love. The spell calls for me to kill it."


"A sacrifice." Sam states and she nods her head, "Precisely. The book will grant freedom from the curse, but it wants something in return."


"Well then give it." I say.


"Bring me something I love, I'll kill it. I want my freedom too much to make a fuss over that. The problem is, I don't love anything." She mutters, looking down at the book in frustration.


"What about Crowley?" Cas asks and she scoffs, rolling her eyes, "Happy to kill him. Let's not call it love."


"I don't believe you." He says, walking towards her, "Everyone loves something."


He reaches up and rests his index and middle finger one her forehead, his eyes shutting as he searches her mind. A few seconds pass before he pulls back and opens his eyes, "Polish boy. Oskar."


"I'm sorry, Oskar?" She whispers, confusion and recognition flooding her face, "You saw Oskar?"


"Who is he?" I question and she looks to me, her voice raising slightly, "Who was he? A peasant boy. His family helped me through some difficulties 300 years ago."


Sam's phone begins to ring and he answers it, walking away from our little group. My eyes drift over towards him and I see his shoulders tense up. The feeling in my stomach tells me that it has something to do with Dean. I look over at Cas and see the same look in his eye. We make our way over as Sam hangs up the phone.


"What's going on?" The angel asks.


"Avery, take this." Sam says, holding out the lock of hair in the ziplock bag, "It's Dean's hair. You need it for the spell. I need you both to do this for me. Make the spell happen, whatever it takes. Please."


I nod my head as I reach over and take it off of him. I eye him for a moment before stepping forward, wrapping my arms around his middle. He hugs me back tightly and whisper to him quietly, "Bring him home."


He's quiet for a moment before he pulls back and looks me in the eye, determination glimmering in his, "I will."


He places a kiss on my lips for a moment before turning and making his way out to save his brother.


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I lock my phone and slip it away into my pocket, looking over towards the witch and the angel who wait to hear from the King. Cas met up with Crowley, asking him for his help in finding the ingredients. Crowley accepted, almost too willing to help for some reason. I have my guard up, wary of the King.


"Why the long faces?" Crowley asks, appearing out of nowhere.


I rise to my feet at the same times as Cas. Crowley looks between us all, "Oh, let me guess. Mother showed you her mustn't-touch-it again."


"Do you have the ingredients?" I ask, not in the mood for banter.


He reaches into his coat and pulls out the ingredients, putting them onto the wooden surface of the table. Rowena goes to reach for one of them, but Cas reaches over and places his hand on top of hers to stop her.


"The quince cost me a major IOU with a Palestinian warlock." Crowley explains as Cas picks up the quince, examining it before handing it to Rowena.


"The gold for the calf? Well, let's just say... I'll be hanged under certain sexual deviancy laws if I ever show my face in Jordan again." Crowley informs and I screw my nose up at the mental image of the demon.


"And the third?" Rowena asks, looking towards him.


"Ah yes. All my long life I wondered what I'd done to deserve a mother who refused to show love." Crowley states, causing Rowena to roll her eyes as she begins to grate the quince into the mixing bowl.


"I pained over it. I built my bloody kingdom on top of it. And then one day... epiphany struck. My mother was incapable of loving anything. For the first time in hundreds of years, I felt free. And then you showed up in my dungeon. We communed and I began to realise you weren't incapable of love. You were incapable of loving me." Crowley says, his eyes locked on his mother.


"Goodness, Fergus. Save it for the stage, why don't you? I mean, fabulous speech, but you put yourself on far too high of a pedestal." Rowena mutters.


He turns and begins to walk towards the steps as she continues to berate him, "The fact remains, I do not, will not and have not loved anything, ever."


He stops and faces her, snapping his fingers. My eyes glance past him as a young man walks out from behind the wall at the top of the steps, dressed in an apron. His eyes are wary as he looks around, them soon landing on Rowena. A smug look comes to Crowley's face as Rowena's falters in shock. The man walks forward, her mouth falling open as her expression softens.


"You were saying?" Crowley asks, a triumphant look on his face.


Rowena turns her back towards him, "This is ridiculous."


Cas looks on confused, but I see what she's trying to desperately not to feel. Only mother's can really see another mother's love. The way she is trying to deny it seals it as true, Rowena loves this man like a son. How do I know? It's the way I looked when I thought of my daughter.


"Do you love this man, Rowena? Is it true?" Cas asks, taking a step forward.


"Of course it's true." Crowley mutters before looking to the man, "Say hello, Oskar."


She turns slowly towards the man who has a small smile on his lips as he takes in the witch, "Rowena."


She glares at Crowley, so much pain in her expression, "Even for you, Fergus, this is a new low. A cruel, shameful, disgusting low."


"It's only cruel if you actually go through with it." He argues, the side of his mouth turned up into a sinister smirk, "Though... who's the cruel one then?"


Oskar walks forward and reaches down to take her hand. She looks up at him, a genuine loving smile on her lips. He eyes glimmer as she takes him in, "You've grown so big. Not too big to give your old Aunty Rowena a hug, I hope?"


"I hope I haven't hurt you." He says, leaning forward and wrapping his large arms around her.


"Don't think about that one moment. Everything's fine, Oskar." She whispers, embracing him.


I can see the genuine pain in her eyes and I feel myself tear up. The thought of her having to kill this young man is awful, almost too much for me to bear. But I think of Dean, of how much I need him and how much I don't want to lose him. It reminds me of why I'm here.


"Everything's fine. Nobody's hurting anybody." Rowena whispers before pulling back, looking him in the eye, "Goodbye my sweet wee boy."


Like a flash of lighting, she stabs the tool into Oskar's neck. His eyes widen as he looks at her, tears streaming down her face. I stare on in shock as blood spurts from his neck, which she angles towards the bowl. I turn away, unable to look and Cas places a hand on my back.


I hear the thud of a body falling to the ground and she begins to speak the foreign language. I look over and see her adding the ingredients. She looks over a her son with utter contempt as she recites the ancient words, adding the lock of Dean's hair into the bowl.


A flash of blinding white light explodes form the bowl, a powerful wave force rippling from it and hitting me. As I fall to the ground and feel my head hit against the cement, everything going black.


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A throbbing fills my head as I slowly regain consciousness. I'm a little disorientated from the blast, feeling a little sick. The sound of voices talking draws my attention and I look over to see Rowena talking to Crowley, "I'm afraid Fergus, that in all your long life you've never seen what a real witch can do with real magic. I'm terrifically pleased it's the last thing you'll ever see."


I see that Cas and Crowley seem to be frozen in place. Rowena has the Book of the Damned and the codex in her arms as she begins to walk away. She recites another spell, directions it to Cas and gestures to Crowley.


Cas cowers over and let's out a guttural cry and I sit up, looking over at him with wide and fearful eyes. He straightens up, blood running down his eyes as he growls towards the demon. I'm reminded of the time I first met Rowena, the spell she casted on the prostitute who attacked me.


Crowley looks towards the angel fearfully, "Castiel."


Cas growls as he pulls his angel blade out of his sleeve, stalking towards the demon slowly. Crowley's takes int he weapon, growing more anxious, "Do not."


I hear the door close behind the witch and true fear runs in my heart as I know that I'm in terrible danger. I'm going to have to fight for my life against someone I love. And I'm not sure if I'm going to make it out.


"Don't." Crowley warns.


Cas raises arm and charges for him and Crowley's screams echo around the warehouse, "Please!"

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