CROSSROADS ☁︎ Supernatural

PART 32 - RILEY

"Crowley holds your deal?!" Sam couldn't even bring himself to say those words out loud. As if acknowledging it would summon Crowley right then and there. "The king of hell holds your deal." He needed Riley to confirm it once again.

She did not defy. "He was just a crossroads demon back then," she shrugged, "a lot has happened since."

"It can't be true." Sam kept shaking his head in disbelief. "He's a king for a reason. He's too powerful." How could they even fight him?

"Like I said. He kept the deal. It's a Winchester deal. The only way he would let me go is taking one of you instead."

"No, it's... Dad, he... I kept asking about the case and he told me, it was you. When the hellhound tore him up in front of the library, that you... The demon didn't left you on its own. You repulsed it."

"I did what? He must've been mistaken."

"He wouldn't be wrong about that. He was dead sure. That's how he justified we needed to get rid of you and leave it all behind."

Riley was looking for some kind of a further explanation of what was going on. But that was all Sam had.

"I wasn't able to do that again at Bobby's." She sounded almost apologetic.

"You were in the trap. You couldn't send the demon anywhere. We locked him in."

"So what... now I'm a demon possessed by a human?"

However hard Riley mulled it over, whatever came up and brought different point to the situation back then, it still had no impact on her main objective now. She didn't have much time, but she could still do one thing. Save the brothers.

"Either way, Sam. You can't tell Dean."

Sam hated keeping things from his brother. He fidgeted in discomfort. He didn't want to lie to Dean, but he couldn't say no to the Riley's dying wish.

"You know, nothing good ever happens behind the curtain. Secrets ruin relationships." He said.

Riley nodded and they both sat in silence for a moment going over all that came to light.

"I still can't believe Dad would make a deal. What brought him to do that? He must've known better."

Riley decided to ease Sam's mind. "There is only one thing that would make your dad do that and you know that."

"His family."

"His family." Riley nodded.

"Mom? It can't be."

Riley shook her head.

"Adam!" Sam figured it out.

"Yes, for Adam. He traded for Adam so he could have an ordinary life."

"All of this for him? And he didn't even get to stay out of it."

"Heaven had different plans for Adam. Castiel... he's not in his full power, is he?"

"No, he's not. His grace is missing."

"He can't help anyway. No more deals, Sam. This ends with me. Do you understand? Promise me."

"I promise."

☁︎

As the time went by, Winchesters over and over again hit the wall. There really was nothing they could do to drag Riley out of her fate. She hardly left her room anymore, her hallucinations were getting more vivid and more frequent. She had a perfect picture painted of where she was heading. Never ending restlessness was her destination.