27. Bait and Trap
It's the dead of night, and the four of us have driven to a farm. The storm's coming, we can all feel it. But when it's gonna hit, we can't predict just yet.
When we get to the place, Cas goes to make sure the kid hasn't been taken by Cain yet. Meanwhile, I hang back with Sam and Dean, biting down on my thumbnail.
"Kid here?" I ask Cas as he comes back.
"He's nearby. Upstairs in the barn. He's playing with a basketball."
"Cain will strike soon," says Dean. "Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, but soon. And when he does..."
"Yeah, I got it," Sam deadpans. "You charge in with the Blade solo. And the kid? What, we just watch and wait until Cain attacks? I thought this was a rescue mission."
"We save the kid after Cain shows."
"We know what he's after," I say. "That's our only advantage."
"A twelve-year-old as bait. I can't believe what I'm hearing."
"Neither can I."
The four of us turn and are greeted by Crowley. He approaches us.
"What's the matter, Crowley? You suddenly grow a conscience? Too good to put a minor in danger?" Dean says.
"Don't give a damn about the kid. I'm talking about the risk to us." He gives me a rather odd look.
"Oh, right, yeah, you wouldn't recognize me," I say. "Meat-suit and all. It's your friend 'Josie'." I wrinkle my nose.
"My, my, someone's had a makeover." His brown eyes squint. "How'd you get out, Josie?"
"None of your concern."
"Not too many escape, I hope you realize that."
"Well, if anyone could, it might as well be a Winchester. By the way, you're not here to welcome me back as a creature like you. You're here for one reason. That's to hand Dean the Blade."
"Yeah, about that. Seeing as this is shaping up to be one of those, uh, two-step capture then kill kind of deals, I think you'd agree it's best to keep the Blade out of your brother's hands until we've got Cain sewn up, just to be safe. Now, back to this plan of yours."
"We'll get him trapped upstairs in the barn," I say. "Once we get him there, we'll figure out what's next."
"Oh, and how do you suppose we get Cain upstairs?"
"The kid." I cross my arms. "But, it's gonna require some magic on your part. We get him hidden somewhere safe. We lure Cain with the magically-conjured kid. He won't know the difference."
"For our sakes, we hope that he won't."
"Let's get this started. Crowley, Cas, with me."
"Boy, someone grew a brass pair while in Hell, didn't she?" I hear Crowley mutter.
We enter the barn, which is massive and empty. I can hear the kid playing upstairs. I gesture for Crowley and Cas to hang back while I go up.
Austin doesn't realize I'm there right away, not until his basketball bounces and rolls my way. He stops, and I see the fear in his eyes.
"Easy, kiddo, you can trust me," I say, picking up the ball. I hold it out for him. "I don't bite."
"Who're you?"
"A friend." Austin timidly approaches me, and I offer him a warm smile. The second he touches the ball, I touch his shoulder, and using a little demon power, I get him knocked unconscious. "We're good!" I shout.
"Aren't you just a vixen, Josie? Quite the cougar, charming twelve-year-old boys," Crowley comments as he and Cas join me upstairs.
"Crowley, take him somewhere. You can bond with him and work on that spell we talked about. Cas, let's get this Trap put into place."
While Crowley takes Austin out of the barn, Cas and I work on the biggest Devil's Trap the world has probably ever seen. Once I'm unable to help, using some of my power, I blow a bunch of hay over the paint, hoping it'll disguise it enough so Cain won't notice right away.
"If this doesn't work, we're fucked," I tell Cas. "Come on, now we get to play the waiting game." Just before I head downstairs, Cas pulls on my arm, pulling me around so that we can kiss frantically. I pull away. "Whoa, there, Cassie. Easy."
"Sorry. It's...just in case something goes wrong."
I chuckle. "Nothing will." I pat his cheek. "Come on. Cain will be coming at any moment."
Cas and I exit the barn, and we all get into our respective positions. Crowley's conjured up a very lifelike Austin, from earbuds to the basketball in his hands. Cas and I lie in wait in the bushes nearby.
I tense when I see Cain. The magic-Austin stops, playing his part well. He's frightened.
"What are you doing here?" he says.
"I'm here to kill you." To emphasize his point, Cain pulls out a knife.
"No, you won't," Cas says, as he and I run to protect the fake-Austin.
"Run!" I shout. The boy runs, and Sam is at the barn doors, guiding the kid inside.
"You can't stop me," hisses Cain.
"We'll do our damn hardest," I declare. Simultaneously, Cas and I raise our hands. My eyes flash black as his glow blue. All it does to Cain is whip his hair around, he doesn't go flying off the ground backwards. Shit.
With a flick of Cain's knife, Cas and I go flying. Cas hits the side of a truck, landing in its bed. I only hit ground, and rush at Cain, engaging him.
Holy shit am I stupid for doing that.
The knife eats into my arms and my cheeks, and with a kick from Cain, I'm sent to the ground, gashes bleeding into the dirt. I'm gasping in pain.
I roll over to see Cain stalking towards the barn, and Sam has just shut the barn doors. I wince, seeing the doors move from Cain trying to bash them open. Thankfully, the doors hold. But in a flash, Cain disappears, and I know he's inside now.
"Josette!"
"I'm fine, Cas, I'm fine." I wince.
"No, you're not. You're bleeding."
"I'll heal."
"Let me see." I try to shove Cas off. "You tried too hard."
I chuckle. "Had to play my part well, right? Ow."
"Sorry."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm better than you."
I give him a half-scalding look. Together, we limp our way into the main part of the barn, where Sam, Dean, and Crowley are.
"You guys okay?" Sam asks.
"We're fine," I say, panting lightly. "It worked?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"My turn," Dean says.
"Dean, look, we want to help."
"No. No, with you in the ring, it'd just be a liability."
"Dean?" asks Cas.
"I'd be too worried about what he could do to you...Or what I could. Plus, I need you four out here to take out whatever comes out of there. And I'm serious. I mean whatever comes out." Dean holds up his hand, and Crowley has the First Blade in his.
"What guarantee do I have that you'll give it back when you're done?"
"If I survive and I come out of there and I don't give it back, you'll all have a much bigger problem on your hands."
Crowley hands the Blade to Dean.
"Dean?" I whisper.
"I'm good, Jo-Jo. I'm good."
I nod. I hope you know what you're doing.
He gives us all a parting look before he heads up some stairs. At the top, he glances down at us one last time before going through those doors and shutting them.
"If you keep touching me, Cas, it'll only make them hurt more," I hiss as he prods my cuts gently.
"Phew, you got it really rough, didn't you, Josie?" Crowley asks. "Guess since that's not your body anymore, you don't care how much wear and tear it goes through."
"See, if you didn't give us the First Blade, you'd have no reason to be here. No reason for us to hear your damn commentary."
"Calm down, Josette. The cuts are still bleeding. You're making them worse," Cas says gently.
"I feel like someone should go up there." I look up to the closed doors, where Dean is hashing it out with Cain.
"What, are you volunteering yourself?"
"Well, Crowley seems to have nothing down under for him to want to volunteer. You're on the weak side. And Sam is human, so he wouldn't be of much help."
"And you just got used as a cutting board. Josette, no."
"Cas." I look at him pleadingly.
"Look, we all want to help Dean. But this something he needs to do on his own, as much as we hate to admit it."
I pull away from Cas, making my charge up anyway. But at the last second, he pulls on my arm, stopping me. "Cas, let me go."
"It's not your fight."
"Dean's my brother."
"It's not your fight," Cas repeats.
"Look, if this is because you're worried about me, you need to stop hovering! Just because we're together doesn't mean you need to be up my ass all the time!"
"You're what?"
In my fit of annoyance, I had completely forgot we had witnesses. Sam looks at me in shock, and Crowley looks mildly surprised.
"Huh, I always had my money on the wrong Winchester," he mutters to himself.
"Wait...you two are together?" Sam asks slowly.
I step down from the stairs. "Yes."
"When the hell did that happen?"
"Before we tried to take out Metatron. The day we tried, actually." I clear my throat. "In my defense, nobody asked. And...we didn't think it would be that big of a deal."
"How is that not a big deal, Jo?"
"Ah, nothing says waiting for an outcome of a bloody fight like a dramatic soap opera," Crowley comments. "Well, well, aren't things just lovely when they're complicated? An angel and a demon. Talk about forbidden."
"I was human we got together, Crowley," I say.
"Well, you're not human now."
"Josette," Cas finally speaks. "I worry because you took care of me when I was human. I lost you, we both did." He exchanges a look with Sam. "You watched over me, I want to watch over you."
I sigh. "I don't need coddling. You can watch me from afar next time."
"This is getting dirty," Crowley says. "And not the kind I bet you two wish it was right now."
"I'm really considering killing you, Crowley."
"It'll take a lot to do so, but I welcome your pathetic try."
"Josette, please," Cas groans.
"Okay, okay, can we all just shut up for a second?" says Sam, who's rubbing his face in exasperation. "Thank you. Look, we can put this discussion on the backburner, you know, when we have free time."
I scoff. "Because we constantly get that."
Before our talk can progress any further, we hear heavy feet from above. All eyes go upstairs, and Dean is walking down. He looks a bit beat up, cut, and bloody, but he's still kicking. Cain is nowhere in sight.
I feel a sense of relief. Cain is dead. This mess, it's done.
"Dean?" Sam asks softly.
"Dean, the Blade," Crowley says.
Dean looks at the Blade, walking towards Crowley, but then he hands the Blade over to Cas.
"You lied to me," hisses Crowley.
"It's not the first time today. Cain's list...you weren't on it."
"Whoa, hey, hey," I say, as Sam and I catch our older brother. "You did it. Dean, you did it."
**That moment when your brother finds out about your love life.
And when the King of Hell bets the wrong Winchester.
Great moments, right?
On the other hand, Cassette, though. A bit rough, eh?**