Roads Untraveled ~ Sam Winchester

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four - I Fought Death and Lost

"Well, so much for James Melford." Dean commented, standing over the scorch marks in the back yard of the CEO's mansion.
"And Martin, his Reaper." Jessica crouched down on the floor a few feet in front of them, where a lighter, older looking scorch mark laid.
"So, now what? She could be anywhere." Eden huffed, waving her hands in a lazy shrug, slapping them back down on her sides.
Sam's phone rang.
"Here we go." He said, putting the call on speaker. "Rowena."
"I don't suppose there's any chance you'll simply leave me to my business before anything unfortunate happens." She responded, the sound of her heels tapping against a hardwood floor could barely be heard in the background.
"Oh, you're starting off with a threat. Nice." Sam retorted with a slight nod.
"I would never. But, this doesn't involve you three."
"You're killing people, it involves us." Dean spoke up.
"Well, if you'd let me explain." Rowena's tone had turned overtly feminine and bordering on innocent and submissive.
"If you think this is something you can just explain away- I trusted you!" Sam protested.
"I know that, Sam, I'm- I'd just rather not talk about this over the phone." The Witch replied. "I'll text you an address, meet me there in half an hour."
"And then what?" Dean retorted.
"You believe me or you don't. Either way, the drinks are on me." They could hear the smile in Rowena's voice before she hung up the phone.
"I don't like it. I mean, what's the over-under this is a trap?" Dean said as Sam let out a frustrated sigh.
"You'd think she knows better than to put the three of us in a trap by now." Eden cocked a brow. "But if she's found a way to be strong enough to even see Reapers, let alone kill them, then we should definitely approach this with caution."
"It's Rowena. Of course it's a trap." Sam turned, heading back off the property, towards the Impala.

The address Rowena had sent them to was a classically fancy, classically 'Rowena' hotel in the middle of Portland. Dean got drinks at the bar whilst Sam and Eden sat at the table, texting Rowena to tell her they were there.
Not long after Dean sat down with them, she appeared with a large man with dark hair, wearing a suit, following closely behind.
"Head's up." Dean grabbed the attention of his company as she approached the table.
"Boys, Eden." She hummed, sitting down in a large forest green armchair across from the brothers, to the left of Eden. The man with her stood behind, placing his hands on the back of the chair.
"What's with the goon?" Dean nodded to the man.
"Just a precaution. We're all weary, aren't we? Surely you've got your witch-killing bullets handy." She replied.
"Rowena, this isn't why I helped you. I mean, were you just... Playing me the whole time?" Sam asked.
"Of course not." The Witch quickly grew serious, showing her sincerity. "But, once I unlocked my power, I couldn't just hide away. I realised I can right some wrongs that are long overdue."
"By killing innocents?" Dean cocked a brow.
"A scamming pharmaceutical company is hardly innocent, to be fair." Eden glanced to him.
"Finally. Someone sensible around." Rowena waved a hand in the Dark Angel's direction. "Och, I've missed you, dear. It's been too long. That company lied about their product for money – money they used to avoid the law. They hurt thousands of sick people, which is far worse than most of the monsters you've killed. I'm striking a blow for justice."
"Okay, don't get too carried away there. We know you, remember. Your heart doesn't bleed that much." Eden countered.
"And why are you killing Reapers?" Sam pressed.
The Witch sighed, nonchalantly looking around the bar.
"Well," She said. "They're just a means to an end. It's not easy to get Death's attention."
"Trust me, that's not the kind of attention you want." Dean shook his head.
"Oh, but it is." Rowena replied, leaning in towards the table. "Death has something I want."
"What's that?" Sam asked, his face mostly unreadable, but leaking a little hint of curiosity.
"My son." She practically whimpered. "After you told me he was gone, that he'd died, I had an unexpected reaction. We had our differences, but it was my fault he went down the path he did. I left him."
"We're talking about Crowley; Demon, King of Hell." Dean clarified.
"We're talking about Fergus. Tricked by a Demon, died in a gutter... He deserved better from the world- from me." Either Rowena was the best actress in the world, or she was being entirely honest. The look in her eyes made everyone question everything they thought they knew about Rowena; the mother.
"Well, Crowley's dead, there's no coming back from that." The older brother replied.
"Oh, is that so, Dean? Are only Winchesters allowed to come back from the dead?" Rowena smirked, glancing down at Eden's hand. "And soon-to-be Winchesters. Congratulations, dears."
Eden glanced down at the ring on her finger before looking to Sam, who gave her a small, half-second smile.
"Thank you, but not currently relevant." She said, turning to Dean. "She's got a point. Why is it that you two, particularly you, Dean, get to come back from the dead countless times, but others can only have a one way trip?"
"How the Hell should I know?" The older brother scoffed.
"Oh, so the rest of us just have to accept it? I don't think so. I'm putting Death on notice."
"Alright." Sam nodded. "Well, she's taken notice."
"She?" The Witch repeated, mouth shrugging. "Interesting."
"And she's upset. But, you can quit this before-"
"I am not afraid." Rowena cut Dean off with a smile. "And, as much as I enjoy our little talks, you can't stop me."
"Actually, we can." Sam replied.
"And what makes you think that?"
"Because, every version of your death – your real, permanent death – Sam's the one who kills you." Dean smirked.
Eden glanced to him with a cocked brow.
"Wow, just drop that in there, why don't you?"
The older brother shrugged.
"I see." Rowena sighed.
"Yeah. But," Sam started, pulling out some witch-proof cuffs. "It's not gunna happen tonight."
He leaned in to place one of the cuffs on her wrist, but she waved a hand, making her form go slightly waved and transparent for a second or two.
"I hope you don't mind the astral projection." An echoed version of her voice said. "Safety first, of course."
With that, she disappeared, reappearing by the bar door. Her guard opened it for her, making their exit.
"Rowena!" Sam growled, getting up as the other two did, the boys drawing their guns.