Hallowed (B. Barnes)

Chapter Fifty-Three

At the diner, Sam sits on his laptop, typing away on his laptop whilst Dean watches Bucky and Sydney across the diner. Natasha sits at the counter on her phone, trying to use her Sword contacts to find Ellie or Christopher. Dean clenches his jaw as he watches Sydney and Bucky together. All those insecurities he felt when she first left are surfacing every time he looks at them together. Those fears that he tries so hard to ignore. Because he is scared that it is going to happen again. That Sydney is going to walk away from her family, again, for a boy. And it might be another fifteen years. And with his life, he might not make it through it this time. If she leaves, he might just never see her again.

"Will you ease up on the stink eye?" Sam asks as he waves his hand in front of Dean's face to draw his attention away from their sister. Dean pulls a face and leans back in his seat. "It's not going to help" Sam points out. "You keep pushing her on Bucky, then she will definitely walk away. And it's not like before...Bucky's different" Dean scoffs and shakes his head.

"How is he different?"

"Because he's not some civilian living in ignorance of the world" Sam reminds him. "He's a super soldier, a former Soviet assassin, and he's fought aliens....He knows that Syd's a vampire....a literal monster...and he wants to be with her anyway....With him, there is a higher chance that she'll stay....But you're not helping those odds though. If you can prove that you and he can get along, if you can work together....then..."

"She'll leave anyway" Dean argues. Sam shakes his head. He truly believes that Sydney will stay if Dean lets up. But she will stay only with Bucky, so he and Dean have to get along. They have to show her that it's not going to be more hassle than worth otherwise Sydney will still walk away.

"Dean, we have all been through so much...Syd has been through so much....let her have this" Sam scolds him. Dean clenches his jaw and glances over at Sydney. He knows Sam is right. Deep, deep, deep down he knows that.

"Alright, there's gotta be a tracking spell, right?" Dean asks. Sam gives him a look knowing he's deflecting. But Sam's not going to let this go. Sydney needs Bucky. Because even in the last few hours, he's seen a difference in his sister. There is a lightness. A weight lifted from her shoulders. Just from Bucky being here at her side. They should be encouraging this. Not fighting it.

"Yeah" Sam agrees and shakes his head, knowing that he's not going to get Dean there. Dean has to figure it out himself. "Maybe if we had something to track"

"Well, guess we hack every traffic light in the city until we find her" Dean comments as he takes Sam's laptop from in front of him. Sydney is suddenly across the room and grabs Christopher as he walks into the diner. She shoves him up against the wall and snarls at him. Dean, Sam, Bucky, and Natasha are instantly on their feet, weapons drawn. Christopher chokes against the hold Sydney has on him.

"If you wanna find Ellie" He starts, voices cracking as he grabs at Sydney's arm. "You have to protect me"

"Protect you? Why should we believe anything you say?" Dean asks. Christopher points at Sydney and pats her arm. "Syd" Dean pushes. Sydney gives him a dirty look and then drops Christopher who gasps for breath.

"Don't look now" Christopher starts, rubbing his throat. "Across the street, there's a Thule agent right beside the dumpster outside. Is that enough? I just killed one of my dad's guys"

"Could be a trap" Sam points out.

"It's not. Do you know what it was like to have a Nazi necromancer for a father? It sucked. Christmas was a joke. Career Day at school was a nightmare. All I do is try to make him proud, I'll never be good enough. He asked a guy named Fritz to kill me"

"Okay, well, there's that" Dean mumbles and gives Sam a look.

"We'll hear you out" Sam assures Christopher. "Where is she?"

"I can take you to her." Christopher answers. They all know it's an insurance thing. If he tells them, they might leave him to the Thule agent waiting for him.

"All right, let's get the car" Dean starts and then glances at Sydney who sighs, knowing what he wants her to do. She never thought that they would be this okay with her being a vampire. That they are using her this frequently. They must have really missed her during that year she was possessed by Amara.

"I'll take care of the Kraut" She mumbles and then vamp-speeds out of the diner.

"You know she hates doing that" Bucky comments behind the two brothers. Dean turns a dirty look on him. "She never wanted to hurt anyone"

"He's not 'anyone'" Dean argues. "He's a necromancer trying to kill a kid" He motions to Christopher. "She kills monsters"

"I'm sure you're the only one in history that has ever claimed to be killing monsters" Bucky states sarcastically. He was told for years that the work he was doing was for the greater good, that he was killing bad guys. That doesn't make it any easier.

"At least I wasn't working for the monsters for what? Seventy years?"

"Dean" Sam scolds, shoving his brother back. This is not going to help them with Sydney. He moves Dean away from Bucky who is glaring at him. "Need I remind you of Hell" Sam points out under his breath, giving his brother a meaningful look. He cannot gripe on Bucky for what happened to him when Dean spent 40 years in Hell as a torturer. Bucky was brainwashed. Dean was willing. "Let's just go and deal with this"