Life's Betrayals / Book Five / Supernatural / The Life Series

The Man Who Would Be King

After dark, at Dad's house, Dad was interrogating a demon in a devil's trap in the library.

Sam and I stood in the doorway, watching.

Dad looked at the demon.  "I got to tell you, Red... for a filthy, lower-that-snake-spit Hellspawn, you seem to have turned yourself into a damn fine hunter. I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you."

"Oh, please, kill me," Red told him.

"That was you that dug out that nest of vamps back in Swan Valley, wasn't it?" Dad asked.

"That was nice work," Sam told him.

"Eight of them in one go, roped and tied," Red told them.

"And then you brought them to Crowley, right?" I asked.

"Read the papers, sweetheart," Red told me. "The King is dead."

Dad chuckled, splashing holy water over Red's face and neck, making his skin burn, sizzle and smoke, making him scream. "Crowley's alive. You prove it just by being, you poor, dumb jackass. Crowley's alive. His nets are still out. Except now he's using you schmucks to hunt his monsters."

"Up yours," Red told him.

Dad turned to Sam and me, holding his hand toward us.

Sam handed Dad Ruby's knife.

Dean walked in.

Sam and I turned to look at Dean.

Dean nodded for us to follow him, walking into the kitchen.

Sam and I followed.

Dad stayed in the library. "Red... where's Crowley?" Red didn't answer. "No? Nothing? Oh, okay, then. Here, hang on to this for a bit."

Dad stabbed Red in the leg with Ruby's knife, making him scream.

Sam looked at Dean. "So, what'd you tell him?"

"Nothing," Dean answered. "Just relax."

Dad walked closer. "What's the hubbub?"

"I saw Cas," Dean told him. "He popped in on me about two hours back."

"What'd you tell him?" Dad asked.

"Nothing, all right?" Dean asked. "Told him we were on some crap monster hunt. He doesn't know that we're getting close to Crowley." He sighed, looking away. "You know, he's our friend... and we are lying to him through our teeth."

"Dean--" I started.

"So he burned the wrong bones," Dean told us. "So Crowley tricked him."

"He's an angel," Dad told him.

"He is the Balk Bartokomous of Heaven," Dean told us. "He can make a mistake."

"Nobody's saying nothing yet," I told him.

"You think that Cas is in with Crowley," Dean told us. "Crowley?"

"Look I'm just saying I don't know," Dad told him. "Now, look, I hate myself for even thinking it. But I don't know."

"Look, Dean, he's our friend, too, okay?" I asked. "And I'd die for him. I would, but... Look, I'm praying we're wrong here."

"But if we ain't... if there's a snowball of a snowball's chance here..." Dad trailed off. "That means we're dealing with a Superman who's gone dark side. Which means we've got to be cautious, we got to be smart, and maybe stock up on some Kryptonite." 

Dean looked at me. "This makes you Lois Lane."

"Look, one problem at a time here," Dad told us. "We got to find Crowley now, before the damn fool cracks open Purgatory." He turned around, walking into the library to where Red was still in the devil's trap. "Where's Crowley?"