Currents

Chapter 32

I was with Dean and Portia, going to some witch club or whatever,
Dean said" Am I getting the stink eye in here or what?"
Portia said" They can tell you're an outsider."
" Are they all witches?"
" And stuff. But if there's information out here about James, they'll know."
" How did James find you, anyway?"
" Not the way it works. The familiar finds the master, and they become inseparable."
" Guess a lot of people feel that way about their pets." She stopped, and looked at him," What?"
" I'm not James' pet."
" Well, not all the time." She grabbed his shirt, I flashed my eyes, warning her.
" Not ever. The master and the familiar- there's an unbreakable bond, like a melding of souls. We would die for each other."
A guy said" Portia." He snapped his fingers," Over here." We walked over to the guy,
" Dean, Keir, meet Phillippe LeChat. They're wiccans from Detroit."
" Really? Well... sit, sit."
" Spencer here?"
" Somewhere." We sat down, and Dean sneezed, what? He only sneezes around cats.
Dean said" That's weird. That only happens around cats."
" Tell me about James. Lot of buzz out there."
Portia said" All gossip. The community has a little attitude going."
" He brings it on himself. The whole cop thing- witch cop- is he nuts?"
Dean said" I said the exact same thing."
" Then there's you, babe. It isn't done, Portia, and you know it."
" I'm sorry. Uh, remind me, what-what isn't done?"
A guy said" Portia."
" Uh, I'm a-I'm a wiccan. I'm from Detroit."
Portia said" Spencer's the man to ask."
" Oh, okay. Uh... you ever head of a-a spell where a witch can control the actions of another witch?" He sneezed again,
Spencer said" No, I never heard of a thing like that. I don't think it's possible. How's James?"
Portia said" Better. I'll tell him you asked."
" Philippe, it's time we were going."
Philippe said" Of course. Goodnight. So nice to meet you." Then he turned into a cat,
Dean said" I knew it." His phone rang," Excuse me."
——
We broke into James' house, and went to his room, he was chained down, Dean flipped on the lighter with the witch-killing spell. Portia came out of a side room,
She said" No, Dean! You have to listen to me, please. It's not James."

Portia said" Tonight, James and I were close, without psychological walls- intimate."
Dean said" I don't-"
Sam and I said" They had sex."
" Wow. I, uh- I didn't expect that."
She said" We have an unusual relationship. Familiars aren't supposed to be sexually involved with their witches."
" Understandable, you know, considering that you're a... well, and that he's... that's- little help here?" He looked at Sam and me, we slightly shook our heads." No?"
" James and I- we hadn't made love in weeks. His agony ate him up, and he shut me out. But tonight, I saw his thoughts- memories of the murders."
" I'm sorry, is this you trying to talk us out of ganking James or-"
" Dean, that's all I saw- just the kills. No preparation, no thought process, no anticipation, no motive. Just the kills without context."
Sam said" No other awareness of the crimes?"
" No. doesn't that at least suggest he's under another's control?"
Dean said" Spencer said that wasn't possible."
" He said he'd never heard of it. James is chained. He's confined. At least take a shot."
——
We were meeting with some warlock snitch, we got out of the car,
Dean said" So this, uh, warlock we're meeting- he's-he's a snitch?"
Portia said" Cops have snitches all over town. James uses Drexyl when he suspects someone in the community."
" I got to ask. I-I can't help but wonder-"
" Which came first, dog or girl?"
" Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm just curious as to which one you consider yourself, mostly."
" This have anything to do with what I told you about James and me last night? How you're imagining it?" I stifled my laughter,
" What? No, that's..." He chuckled, then looked at her," Yes." I went invisible as I heard a car approaching us. The guy got out,
" Drexyl, this is Dean."
The guy said" Wiccan. Detroit. I heard. So, here's the deal- absolutely no word on the street about any witch hexing another one."
Dean said" You sure there's not any kind of spell?"
" Look, Detroit, I pride myself on reliable sourcing. There is, however, a lot of chatter about our James."
Portia said" What kind of chatter?"
" That he's gone ripper."
Dean said" As in Jack the-"
" Someone's circulating the rumor that he's set at full kill."
Portia said" Someone? One of us?"
" If the cops get wind of it, arrest James, find out what he really is, that exposes the rest of us. You know that can't happen."
Dean said" Meaning?"
" They're gonna give James two choices- leave or the full hara-kiri."
" Suicide?"
" Witches appreciate a grand gesture."
Portia said" I won't let him do that."
" Well, the community might do it for him."
——
Sam, Dean and I got to the witch bar,
Dean said" So James didn't kill those-" We were thrown back into the wall,
Spencer said" Seriously, you want to take me on?" He lifted James up into the air, we got up quickly, Dean pulling out the bottle.
Sam said" Hurry." Then energy shot at us, I couldn't,
" It's not only James' head I can get inside." Then I saw everything big and bad that's happened to me in my entire life. It stopped after a few seconds,
" Ego Voco Impetu Delere... Vos Caelum Et Infernum." Dean threw the bottle and Spencer exploded,
Dean said" Well, kids, don't try this at home.

They said their goodbye, and now we're on the road,
Dean said" Well, it's possible I was wrong."
Sam said" What, about James? Dude, we were both ready to gank the guy."
" No, that's not what I meant. Back there, when Spencer had us. He screwed with my head. I saw mom... when she died, and some other crap."
" Yeah. Me, too."
" You know, when I look back at what our family's been through, what everybody's been through, seeing all that pain... I realize that the only way we've made it through it all is by hanging together. I trust you, Sammy. With this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it's too important not to. So if you say you're good... then that's it. I'm with you 100%."
" I'm good." He started coughing, I closed my eyes, leaning back, my body tensed up. My eyes glowed, I bared my fangs silently then passed out.