Moving fast, I unlock the sanctuary door and go inside. I find the same room that I was in the last time I was here. Unfortunately, it's warded. I try to pry it open anyway, but the warding glows red and burns my hand.
"Okay, Cas. The door to the souls is warded. I can't get it open, so hopefully you can. If you can, just pop into the sanctuary. The door is open and there's no sigils right now to keep anyone out. I -"
A flutter sounds behind me. I turn to see Cas and Dean, brandishing weapons and defenses of all sorts.
"That was quick," I notice.
"Quick and easy is the best way to do it," Dean cracks.
I laugh. "Let's do this before we run out of time. Cas, can you open this?"
"Let me see," he sighs. He observes the warding for a second before he nods, places a hand on the door, and literally melts the warding off. "I expected more powerful warding."
I shrug and quickly open the door for Cas and Dean. Cas enters and begins to scan the shelves for the right souls.
"Not your every day job huh?" I ask Dean.
"Not exactly," Dean says. "This place makes my skin crawl."
"Why?"
As if on cue, an extremely angry Jasper enters, with four other reapers in tow.
"That's why," Dean mutters.
"Mallory, have you not learned your lesson?" Jasper booms, hurrying toward me.
Before I can even react, Dean steps in front of me, colliding with Jasper and throwing him to the ground.
"Cas!" I yell, realizing that Dean and I can't fight them all alone.
Cas emerges from the room, and suddenly, it's a bloodbath.
Dean has two reapers, I have two, and Cas has Jasper. I don't pay much attention to anyone except the two former comrades in front of me, trying to kill me.
One jabs at me with a knife, but I dodge it and grab her arm, flinging her into the stone walls of the sanctuary. The other lands a blow on my face, but I take him to the ground and return his damage, three times over.
I'm almost ready to kill him, but I lose track of the female until she tackles me off of him, and nearly kills me. She plunges her blade into my arm as I squirm, trying to get free.
"Damn it!" I cry, the pain searing through to my finger tips. Before I have another breath, she rips it out. She relishes my pain, and I use her distraction to throw her off of me. She hits her head on the floor. As she comes out of her daze, I grab her blade from her hands, and bury it into her chest.
The male is easy work after I finish the female. A few blows and cuts take place before I take a fatal slice at his jugular and send him to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Mentally, I thank Castiel for the good training, and heal my arm.
I look around. Now, it's just Dean and Cas, holding Jasper down. Somehow, Dean formed a reaper trap on the floor in a matter of seconds, and has now shoved Jasper into it, where he's captive.
"You bitch," Jasper seethes at me. "You used me. You're a traitor, and a worthless waste of life."
Without hesitation, Dean punches Jasper, eliciting a spray of blood from his mouth. "Shut up."
"Don't you get it?" I ask, hysteria filling my words. "I'm sick of this! My dad treats me like I'm useless and now you, the only person I could trust...you're an ass. I want to be free, and I can't find that here."
"You're a pathetic excuse for Death's daughter," Jasper growls. "Are you really going to throw this all away? Everything that's been given to you? Everything that we have?"
"Cas, did you get what you needed?" I ask, ignoring Jasper's advances.
"I have the objects."
"You'll regret this," Jasper says. "I'll tear you apart for this. You'll never escape."
"No you won't," I deny him.
I watch as Castiel places a hand on his skull, and smites him. The light pours out of him. I'm not sure what I feel, but relief is prominent.
"We need to hurry and get out of here," Cas advises. I nod in agreement.
The building starts to shake. Glass cases fall from the walls and shelves, and alarms begin to blare from outside.
"What the hell?" Dean asks.
"My dad," I panic, "we need to get out of here, now."
Dean grabs me as Cas runs toward us. I can see the shadow of my father outside the sanctuary. Horror ensues, and I hold on to Dean out of sheer fear. Thankfully, Cas works fast, and in a nanosecond, I find myself in the bunker, in Dean's arms, holding him with a death grip.
"I can't breathe," Dean coughs.
I release him a little, but not completely. Terror still runs through my bones, and I'm not completely sure if I'm safe or not. Nevertheless, Dean's hands on my back give me some reassurance.
"Hey, it's okay," he reminds me. "This place is safe. You can relax."
"Sorry." I let go of Dean and step away.
He sends me a cute smirk. "Don't apologize."
Cas enters the room, interrupting the moment between us. "Sam is ready. I'll need both of you there in case something goes wrong."
Dean and I nod at each other and follow Cas. I watch Dean's facial expression as we near the room Sam's in. He looks worried.
"It'll be okay," I encourage him.
He glances down at me and nods slightly. I shake my head at his tough exterior.
Sam is lying on a bed. He greets Dean and I.
"Hey guys."
"Hi," I respond. Surprisingly, I'm happy to see him. I take it that I must simply be happy to be back here.
"Are you ready?" Cas asks.
Sam nods. "Yeah."
"Bite down on this." Cas places a belt (of all things) between Sam's teeth. I feel slightly uncomfortable, and unprepared for what may happen. "Try to breathe."
Cas pulls Sam's soul from the case he placed it in. Dean cringes at the brightness of it. Cas warns Sam about pain, then proceeds to place his soul back in him. Sam yells, his whole body tense and shaking, and I swear he could bite that belt in half. The process lasts for about two seconds, then Cas is finished. Sam relaxes and passes out.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
"He's fine," Cas says. "Quite well, actually. He just needs to rest."
Cas walks out, leaving Dean and I. I go to follow him, but Dean doesn't move. He just stares at Sam.
"Dean, he's okay, he just needs rest," I remind him.
He nods. I grab his forearm lightly, and he follows in the direction I pull him in.
After a few minutes of simply standing next to Dean and Cas while they talk about Sam, I decide to retire for a bit. I find myself tired in the wake of the day's events.
I walk to my room and sink into the soft bed that I missed so much. I'm still unsure of if I can sleep or not, but I lie contently, comfortable and relaxed. Surprisingly, my mind finally comes to a halt, and I'm left feeling like I can finally breathe.
I'm not sure how much time passes until Dean knocks on my door and enters the room. Lazily, I turn my head to see him. He leans against the empty dresser, arms crossed, a stern look on his face.
I frown. "Yes?"
"Just checking on you," he shrugs. "Are you okay?"
"Are you okay?" I mirror his question. I can tell he's distressed. For some reason, he's the only person whose aura I can't look at, but I don't need to.
"Yes, are you?"
I sit up. Clearly this will be a full conversation. "Dean, I don't like liars. And, no, I'm not, but I will be. I just need some rest and time to set myself straight."
Dean nods, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he just stands there, looking like he's lost.
"Is there something you want to talk about?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "I'm just confused about what happened with that guy that Cas killed, in the reaper trap."
"Jasper," I sigh. "You want to talk about Jasper."
"No, I don't want -"
"If you didn't want to you wouldn't be here, stop it," I snap at him. He pouts a little. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Come sit." I make a space for him on the bed. With only minimal hesitance, he sits.
"I just wanted to understand what he was saying," Dean says. "It sounded like a bunch of threats. I want to know what we're up against."
"We?" I laugh. "Okay. Basically what he meant was that I'm leaving all the shelter that's been given to me and that I'm going to regret it, because clearly there will be other reapers after me now. But I don't care. I want to be free."
"Fair," Dean agrees. "And what you two had between you?"
"Was complete and utter shelter. He liked me for something, I'm not sure what, but I took advantage of it and used it to gain back some trust and be able to have protection." I pause for a second and let Dean process. "But I used to have some type of feelings for him, before this mess. But after I was taken back to the veil...he changed. And I didn't like it."
Dean nods. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't like him either." I laugh, and Dean cracks a grin.
Suddenly, Cas appears in the doorway. He has a proud look on his face. "Sam's awake."