(1) When We Collide (T. Stark)

Chapter Thirty Eight

Tony watches Trinity drawing squiggles sat on the floor, across the room Spencer watches Tony, Dean, and Sam standing behind her looking over an array of weapons. Dean picks up a clip and loads the gun in his hand, Sam does the same at his side, but his face shows that something's on his mind. He sighs.

"We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?" He asks.

"That's the idea" Dean answers.

"What if, uh... What if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?" Sam asks, Spencer snaps her head around with an angry, doubting look. Sam looks away from her. "Quit looking at me like that"

"What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes "poof"?" Spencer asks him sharply.

"I don't know what Ruby meant. You know, maybe we should just go ask her" Sam offers.

"Sam, you wanted the knife – I got you the knife" Spencer points out as she walks over to another table, trying to contain her anger because Trinity is in the room.

"Spencer" Sam follows her. "Just listen to me for a second. Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife? I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all"

"Well, this ain't smart" she counters.

"We got one shot at this, Spencer. Just one. So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it" Spencer turns and walks up to him as she speaks.

"Sam. I am here now...and we are not gonna make the same mistake all over again"

"You said that but what does it even mean?" he asks her. She sighs and looks between her brothers.

"Don't you see a pattern here?" she asks them. "Dad's deal, my deal, now this? I mean every time one of us is – is – is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul. That's all this is. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going" She turns around, sits down against a table and picks up a gun from the table. Dean shakes his head a bit and walks around to the other side of the table.

"Spencer" he starts as he sits down next to her, looking at her as she continues to assemble the weapon in her hand. "What do you think is gonna happen?" Dean asks her, Spencer stops what she's doing, looking at the floor and shakes her head.

"If it'll save you..." Sam starts stepping closer, Dean shoots him a look and Sam stops. Spencer closes her eyes before letting out a shaky breath.

"Why even risk it?" she asks them looking to Dean. Dean looks away for a beat and then back at her with the obvious answer.

"Because you're my baby sister" he answers taking her hand. "Because you did the same thing for Sam and because I know you'd do the same thing for me" Dean answers. Spencer scoffs.

"I know... and look how that turned out" she takes a shaky breath. "All I'm saying...." she gets a little choked up. "All I'm saying is that you're my weak spot" Dean and Sam both stare at her as she looks up. "You are. And I'm yours"

"You don't mean that. We're... we're family" Sam's voice breaks.

"I know. And those evil" she pauses glancing to Trinity. "Sons of bitches" she whispers before raising her volume back to normal again. "Know it too. I mean, what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go? They're using it against us"

"So what? We just stop looking out for each other?" Sam asks her.

"No, we stop being martyrs. We – we – we stop spreading it for these demons" She picks up Ruby's knife and holds it up. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh... then we go down swinging" Sam and Dean both just stare at her, Spencer grows nervous. "What do you think?" she asks. Sam looks down on the floor, thinking, Dean smirks a little.

"I think you totally should have been jamming Eye of the Tiger right there" he admits, Sam lets out a snort, Spencer stands.

"Oh, bite me" she scolds lightly. "I totally rehearsed that speech, too" Sam smiles at that.

"So, Indiana, huh?" He asks her, she hums.

"Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave" Dean adds.

"Yeah, I guess" Spencer agrees.

"Tell me something" Tony starts, they all turn to look at him. "The hell's a demon do for fun?" he asks them, Spencer looks to Dean and Sam for an answer.

.................

Spencer crouches in front of Trinity who looks up at her with those big brown eyes watching her back. Spencer smiles for her, even if everything inside of her is screaming in agony. She looks over her daughter, her eyes lingering on her face. Spencer cups her cheeks in her hand and kisses her forehead, lingering there, her body tenses as she stops herself from sobbing. She pulls back and gives the girl a loving look, a few tears escaping.

"I will always love you," she tells the girl. "But you probably won't remember me" she whispers brushing her fingers over the girl's cheek. "Daddy's going to look after you" she adds and then stands taking deep breaths to control herself, but that control is gone by the time she turns to Tony behind her. He takes a strengthening breath and reaches for her. He brushes her hair back, his eyes misting a little as she cries. She pulls off her wedding ring, he shakes his head. "Tony" she starts holding it out to him. "Take it" he shakes his head again. "Please take it" she takes his hand and presses it into his palm. "Keep it for her" he closes his eyes as he curls his fingers around the ring. "I love you" she whispers kissing his cheek. Tony turns to her as she pulls back, she tries to smile reassuringly at him but she can't, he cups her cheek and kisses her knowing that this is the last time he will get to kiss his wife. The mother of his child. And quite possibly the love of his life. He doesn't want to stop. If he stops she'll go. He can't. He has to. He pulls away to breathe, his hands on her neck, brushing over her skin.

"I love you too" he whispers sadly, voice breaking with emotion.

"Look after her" she whispers. "And yourself..." he nods a little pressing his forehead to hers. "And open your letter" he nods again. "Everything will be okay" she lies, he closes his eyes as she pulls away. Dean takes her wrist knowing that she's going to need help to leave, to walk away from them. Dean pulls her closer to him and looks over her head to Tony who closes his eyes harder. Dean hates this. Tony may have started out as a one night stand but it has turned into something far greater. Tony opens his eyes to find Trinity watching him, waiting to follow his mood. He lifts her up and holds her close to his chest as he turns to watch Spencer walk out that door and out of his life. She glances back to him before she is gone. Tony takes a sharp breath and kisses Trinity's head.