(1) The Devil's Hybrid (D. Winchester)

Chapter Sixteen

Sam is sewing a cut in his left arm while Dean is in the bathroom doorway, waiting impatiently for him to finish.

"Are you almost done?" Dean asks.

"I'm going as fast as I can" Sam complains.

"Good, 'cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here" Dean picks up a whiskey bottle and drinks from it as Erika walks into the room, Dean narrows his eyes at her face. "Where are all your....scratches?" he asks her, she smirks at him and shrugs before setting two glasses on the table.

"Give me that" she motions to the whiskey, Dean moves to her and hands it over. She pours out two glasses and then sets the bottle aside, then using her forefinger nail and breaks the skin on her thumb before letting her blood drop into the glasses.

"What are you doing?" Dean grabs her wrist, she looks up at him.

"Trust me" she whispers, he stares down at her, he lets go of her hand, she lifts her thumb to her mouth and sucks on it as it heals. Dean takes the glass of whiskey and looks to Sam who is watching them. Dean drinks the whiskey and then winces as his shoulder pops back in all by itself, Erika smirks and walks to her bag on the bed.

"Wait, what?" Sam asks as Dean tests his shoulder.

"One of my...superpowers" she teases as she sits down.

"It's like it never happened" Dean states rubbing his shoulder, he shows his shoulder to Sam who looks to his own drink, Dean turns to Erika. "So, you lost the magic knife, huh?" she shoots him a look.

"Yeah, saving your bloody arse" she tells him.

"Who the hell was that demon?" Sam asks them.

"No one good. We got to find Anna" Dean answers.

"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay" Sam tells them, Erika rolls her eyes.

"You sure about Ruby? 'Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us" Dean points out.

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe"

"Yeah. Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?" Dean asks.

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Anna again. That's why he let us go"

"You call this letting us go?"

"Yeah, I do. Look, killing us would've been no problem to that thing. That's why, for now, we just got to lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us"

"How's she gonna do that?" Dean asks, Erika pulls her hair out of it's ponytail. "Why do you trust her so much?"

"I told you" Sam answers.

"You got to do better than that. Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I mean, I deserve to know more" Dean tells him. Erika stands.

"Look, I leave you two to it" she states.

"No" Sam tells her. "It's okay, stay" she looks to Dean who nods.

"All right" she moves to sit back on the bed.

"Ruby saved my life" Sam tells them.

................

Six Months Earlier: Sam is drunk, and after he enters a motel room a man and a women attack him. The woman takes Ruby's knife.

"Thanks for keeping this warm for me, Sam"

"Ruby"

"It's nice to be back. Where I was, even for Hell, it was nasty. I guess I really pissed Lilith off. Imagine my relief when she gave me one last chance to take it topside. And all I had to do was find you and kill you"

"Fine. Go ahead! Do it" Ruby stabs the other demon instead of Sam.

"Grab your keys. We got to go. Now!"

............

Ruby and Sam are in the impala.

"You know what sounds good? French fries. I'm starving. I just escaped Hell. I deserve a treat. You know, a "thank you" would be nice"

"Who asked for your help?" Sam asks.

"You have no idea what I've been through. When Lilith gets pissed, she gets creative. You want to hear about the corners of Hell I've seen, Sam?"

"No, I don't"

"And the things I had to do to convince her I was sorry? That I could be trusted?"

"Well, this'll definitely get you a fat Christmas bonus" Sam tells her.

"Very funny. I'm a fugitive... For you, Sam. I took all of this risk to get back to you, so, yeah, I deserve a damn "thank you.""

"Who asked you to save me?" Sam asks.

"I'm just trying to help"

"Can you help me save Dean?"

"No. Nothing I know of is powerful enough to do that" Sam stops the car by the roadside.

"Then I have no use for you" He tells her.

"What?"

"Get out"

"Sam"

"Whose body are you riding, Ruby?"

"What do you care? You've never asked me that before"

"I'm asking now"

"Some secretary"

"Let her go"

"Sam....."

"Or I send you right back to Hell" Sam threatens.

...............

A woman lies in coma on an hospital bed with the name "Doe, Jane" on it.

"All right, pull it" The doctor states. The machine begins to beep as the woman dies, but she sits up as she is possessed.

"Who do I have to kill to get some French fries around here?" she asks.

................

Sam is cleaning a gun. Someone knocks on the door. Sam grabs a shotgun and opens the door, revealing Ruby possessing the coma girl. She holds up a piece of paper.

"Proof. This body is 100% socially conscious. I recycle. Al Gore would be proud" Ruby tells him.

"You grabbed a coma patient?" Sam asks.

"You didn't want me to take a body with someone in it, and I made sure that the spirit was gone. Apartment was empty. You happy?"

"Why are you here?"

"I can't bring Dean back. But I can get you something else that you want"

"And, uh... what's that?" Sam asks.

"Lilith"

"You want me to use my psychic whatever"

"Look, I know that it spooks you...."

"Skip the speech. I'm ready. Let's go" Sam tells her.

"Slow down there, cowboy"

"Just tell me what I have to do"

"Look, Lilith is one scary bitch. When I was in the Pit, there was talk. She's cooking up something big -- apocalyptic big"

"So let's kill her"

"You want to go in there and half-ass it like before? We have the time to get it right. Let's get it right"

"Okay. What do you want from me?" Sam asks.

"Well, a little patience... and sobriety. Promise me that... and I will teach you everything I know" Ruby tells him.