Bonds Tested

Long-Distance Call -- The Choice

I hum in response. "No, you just want to wait for another call." I respond softly. "And that's all well and fine, baby, but you need to sleep, too." Dean just caresses my belly, his gaze locked onto the phone in front of him. I physically leap as the cell goes off, the outdated number flasing on the small screen. Dean helps me out of his lap before answering it and moving to the bathroom to speak. I sigh disappointedly and follow after him.

"Dad? Is it really you?" Dean whispers, his gaze flickering back to Sam, who's still asleep. He gives me an apologetic look before locking me out of the bathroom.

I whimper and sit on our bed. Dean returns some time later, and doesn't say a word about the call. The next morning, he briefly explains to call to us, and obsesses over it while Sam left to check on a girl he'd spoken to that had gotten a call from her deceased mother.

When he returned, Dean was still obsessed with the demon John told him about last night. But he refused to let me help. "Hey, you find anything?" I ask as Sam returns.

"Girl, Lanie-- her mom's ghost spooked her out pretty bad last night." Sam explained.

"That sucks." Dean hums without looking up.

"Yeah, it does." Sam agrees. "What are you doing?"

"I think Dad's right." Dean mentions. "I think the demon is here." He angles the paperwork he'd compiled towards Sam. "Check it out."

I peer over at the papers as I get close to Sam. "What is this-- weather reports?" I ask.

"Omens-- demonic omens-- electrical storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks." Dean explains.

"I-- I don't remember any lightning storms." Sam mentions.

"Well, I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid, either." Dean retorted. "But I'm telling you-- that bastard's been tailing me, wearing some poor dude's meat."

"And... it's following you because..." Sam trailed off.

Dean shrugs. "I guess I'm big game, you know?" Dean comments. "My ass is too sweet to let out of sight."

"Sure." I hum.

"Don't get too excited, Lottie, you might upset the kid." Dean comments as he snatches the paper from Sam.

"Dean, look, we really want to believe this, man, we really do." Sam says.

"Then believe it!" Dean barks. "I mean, if we get this sucker, it's miller time!"

"Yeah, that's another thing." Sam shoots back. "Dad rattles off an exorcism that can kill a demon-- I mean, not just send it back to hell, but kill it?"

"I checked it out," Dean retorts. "This is heavy-duty dark ages. Fifteenth century."

"Yeah, I checked on it, too, Dean." I mention. "And so did Sam. And so did Bobby."

"Okay? And?" Dean asks a little calmer.

"It's definitely an exorcism, okay?" I sigh. "There's just no evidence that it can kill a demon."

"No evidence that it can't." Dean mentions.

"Dean, come on." Sam complains.

"Hey, as far as I know, the only one of us that's actually been to hell is Dad, okay?" Dean states. "Think maybe he picked up a couple of tricks down there-- like which exorcisms work?"

"Maybe it does, okay?" I say. "Look, I hope it does, too, but we just got to be sure."

"Why aren't we sure?" Dean asks.