Discovering Hell [COMPLETED]

Chapter Eleven

Dean set the plate down in front of Zoe. She looked better than she had after he'd hit her with his car but she could still use a shower and a change of clothes. She had returned from her bedroom shortly after Dean had finished painting the demon trap on the ceiling of Lauren's room.

"Eat and then tell us where you live so we can take you home," he told her, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm going home?"

"Well you're not staying here so figure something out. We can just drop you off in town if that's what you'd prefer."

Zoe looked down at the food in front of her and then back up at Dean. "So this demon guy, Crowley, has another demon, Meg, and wants to trade her for Lauren?"

Dean was hesitant to answer, he really just wanted to take this chick home, not tell her stories. But Lauren had already spilled most of the beans--what harm could it really do? "Yeah. Seems like it."

"And...who's this Meg character to all of you?" She pulled up the top piece of bread and slowly pulled the tomato out of her sandwich.

"Does it matter? After you finish eating, you're going home." He was appalled that she was taking apart the sandwich he'd so graciously prepared for her, but tried not to get too upset about it.

"I am not," she protested. Dean raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to argue but she continued before his could. "You've already told me everything. I wanna stick around and see how we get Meg back without giving him Lauren."

"Well I'm glad you're so dedicated to the cause," Dean said. "But there is no 'we' and we," he pointed at himself and Sam, "don't need another person to babysit and make sure they don't get killed."

Zoe folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "You already hit me with your car."

"Exactly. This is dangerous work."

Cas fluttered into existence. "Let her stay."

Dean looked at him, surprised that he was defending the random lady. "Cas--"

"I'm helping. Stop arguing." Zoe she sat back up and picked up the sandwich, a satisfied grin on her face.

"What are you helping with exactly? Do you have any special skills?"

Cas opened his mouth to say something but Zoe looked at him. She shook her head slightly before responding. "I can shoot."

Dean sighed. He doubted she could really shoot (she looked like she'd never seen a gun in her life, much less shot one) but he was sick of arguing with her. "Fine, you can stay. But don't expect me to save your ass all the time."

"I wouldn't expect that much chivalry out of you," she countered.

He was about to reply when Lauren started yelling from her bedroom. He'd actually forgotten she was in there...She screamed curses for a minute or two and then, finally, it was quiet again.

Dean whistled long and low. "She sure has got some lungs."

"Sam," she hollered. "Sammy...I need you."

"Go on, Sam," Dean teased. "Lauren needs you."

"Shut up, Dean," Sam grumbled, putting his book down and standing from his chair to go see what Lauren needed.

Everyone else waited five, ten, fifteen minutes for Sam to come back.

"Be right back," Dean said, getting up from the table. He didn't know what to be worried about exactly but he was definitely worried.

He walked down the hall to Lauren's bedroom. She was standing in her devil's trap and there was a brick wall next to her. The more Dean looked at it, he saw that the brick wall made a small circle. It took a minute for him to get it but when he did...

"You didn't..."

"Oh, but I did," she growled, folding her arms. "Now let me out. I'm isolated."

"Would you like me to move your devil's trap out to the main room with the rest of us normal people?"

"I cannot believe you just said that. I am normal." She slammed her palms against the invisible wall of the trap.

"If you were normal, you wouldn't have my brother trapped in a brick prison. You also wouldn't be stuck in there." He pointed up at the trap above her head.

She stomped her foot in frustration. "You are so infuriating. Just...let me out and I'll let Sam go."

"Do it, Dean," Sam called from inside his little prison. "This is not worth it."

Dean ignored him and instead changed the subject. "You know what? I'm confused."

"About what?" She asked, glaring at him and putting her hands on her hips.

"You have a thing for my little brother, so why'd you confine him in a brick cell?"

"Is this really the time, Dean?" Sam hollered.

"I do not 'have a thing' for Sam," she argued. But her neck was turning bright red and she looked down at the floor. She frowned after a minute. "Just let me out."

"He can stay in there for as long as you want to keep him in there. I am not falling for this." Dean turned to walk away.

"Please let me out," she begged, stepping closer to the wall of the devil's trap. She had some pretty good puppy eyes, but, after years of resisting Sam's begging looks, it was easy to ignore her.

"Don't you dare walk away, Dean," Sam hollered. "This was your idea."

Dean looked over at the brick wall and then back at her. "No. You'll let him out eventually."

She stomped her foot again and this time the lights above them exploded, sending glass everywhere. They both covered their head to shield them from the shards and Lauren sank to the floor in defeat. "Great. No look what you made me do."

"I didn't make you do anything. That was your weird demonic crap."

"That I can't control," she argued. She sighed. "Look, I'm not gonna turn myself over to that guy. He's a creep and I'm selfish and not one to turn myself over to creeps. Can you please just let me out?"

Dean looked at her skeptically. "You really aren't going to go hand yourself over to Crowley?"

"She already said she wasn't going to," Sam yelled. "Please just let her out. My legs are falling asleep."

"No," Lauren got to her feet. "I'm not."

He sighed and pulled his knife out of his back pocket. He reached up and scratched the paint off the ceiling.

"Thank you," she smiled as she stepped out from under the trap. The bricks disappeared, releasing Sam.