Currents

Chapter 36

I water-ported to my brothers,
A demon said" For a price, ya'll can be smuggled across hell's border."
Dean said" By who?"
" Rogue reapers. They got secret ways, in and out. Not just hell- the veil, heaven."
Sam said" Rogue reapers smuggling people?"
" People, souls..."
" So, what? They're like hell coyotes?"
" Now kill me. Come on, man. Better death than Crowley."
Dean said" Hmm. Good point. But first you're gonna tell us... everything."

I woke up to the car moving, I opened my eyes and only saw Dean.
I said" Where's Sam?"
Dean said" Gone to hell."
" Alone?!" I sat up, water-porting into the front seat, looking at Dean," He's going to hell, alone?! Are you crazy?!"
" He says he has to be alone, for the trials."
" Okay, you know... this is ridiculous! Anything can happen and that big loaf is alone!"
" You're way too protective to be a hunter, you know that?"
" Yeah, I do, you told me that, I don't care! It's dangerous!" My eyes glowed, I breathed heavily," And you let him do it?! What the hell happened to you, man?!" I screamed," You know he's not at top speed and you're letting him do this solo?!"
" Calm down, Key."
" No! I'm not calming down! You just sent our brother into a suicide mission! Why would I calm down?!" My face shifted," I mean, this could all be a trick! Who says the reaper doesn't work for Crowley?! Who said anything?! Oh, right! You trusted a damn demon!" I went to attack, Dean grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the dashboard. Everything went black.
——
I woke up in the car, outside of Garth's houseboat, I water-ported in,
Kevin said" Getting rid of the tablet just takes off some of the pressure."
Dean said" Wait. Getting rid of it?"
" Temporarily. I hid it."
" What? Where?"
" If I tell you where, it's not hidden, is it?"
" Kevin, tell me where the damn tablet is, or I swear to you-"
" You'll what, Dean?"
" Kevin!" Kevin shut the door in the closet,
A woman said" Kids. So cute when they're little. Then they turn into teenagers, and the party's over." I walked to Dean," We haven't been formally introduced, Dean, Keir. My name is Naomi."
" Oh, I know who you are. And I know what you did to Cas after he got out of purgatory."
" After I rescued him from Purgatory, you mean, at the cost of many angels' lives."
" You screwed with his head and had him spy on us."
" Well, it is true that I have spoken with Castiel many times, trying to reach out to him, trying to help him. Dean, you must have noticed how purgatory changed him. I mean, he's been unstable in the past, but I was shocked at how damaged he is now."
" Stop, okay? Don't-Don't try to spin this. You think I don't know that you told him to try and kill me?"
" Hm. Yeah, I suppose that is how he would hear it. When I learned of the angel tablet, I did tell Castiel to get it at any cost. That's my job- to protect heaven. I'm a warrior, just as you are. What would you expect? And now Castiel is in the wind with a hydrogen bomb in his pocket, and I-I'm scared, for all of us."
" Save it. See, I don't trust angels, which means I don't trust you."
" And yet you haven't warded this place against us. I know. You're hoping Castiel will return to you. I admire your loyalty. I only wish he felt the same way. I know you don't want to believe it, Dean, but we're on the same side- shutting the gates of hell, bringing Castiel in from the cold. Take a moment. Think about what I've said. Oh. I know you've been doing business with Ajay. He did mention, didn't he, that his way into hell is through purgatory? I knew you'd want to know. You see, we can be of help to each other." I looked at Dean, anger rose in me, my face shifted, then I fully shifted. I heard her go away. I hissed, then turned to the door and walked out, this is exactly what I was talking about!

Dean and I got to the cab, and saw Ajay sitting in front,
Dean said" Hey. Ajay?" He opened the door and Ajay was dead! I turned to Dean, breathing heavily, then I screeched, I was slammed into the wall," Key!" I bared my fangs then closed my eyes.
——
We were in Maine, hoping Sam was gonna come out from the portal from purgatory.
We got to the spot, we turned as we saw a bright light, and then we saw Sam. I sighed, then Dean hugged him,
Dean said" Purgatory, right? A real garden spot, ain't it?"
Sam said" Yeah."
" Did you get him out?"
" Only Bobby."
" What? I mean, that's fantastic about Bobby."
" Dean, look- Benny, uh... he got us out. A bunch of vamps showed, and he used himself as bait. I get the feeling that even if that didn't happen, he didn't want to come back, you know? I'm sorry."
" You're probably right. So, uh... Bobby- how-how'd he hold up down there?"
" He's good, all things considered. Ornery as hell, of course."
" As he should be. Let's put that old man where he belongs."
" Yeah." Sam rolled up his sleeve, and grabbed the knife," Solvo Haec Phantasmata in Terram, Et Inde Ad Olympum." Bobby's soul was released, and moved up, then it stopped,
" What the hell?"
I heard Crowley say" Hello, boys. Bobby Singer- I'd know you anywhere." I shifted,
" Let him go, Crowley. He doesn't belong in hell."
" He does if I say he does. He's inflected untold damage on my kind. From where I sit, actually, hell's too good for him." We went to attack him," Really?" Then we were slammed into trees," What? Oh, come on!"
I heard Naomi say" Let me see if I've interpreted the situation correctly. The Winchesters have freed an innocent from hell, to which you are wrongfully trying to return it."
" Siding with them, Naomi? You don't know those two. Before they're done, we'll both be locked away."
" I'm just hoping they lock you away, dear. The rest I'll figure out."
" Bureaucrat. You're fighting outside your weight class."
" Don't call me a bureaucrat." Then we were dropped, she released Bobby's soul from the spot." I told you you could trust me." Then she was gone, I looked at Dean,
Sam said" What the hell was that about?"
Dean said" I'll tell you later. Let's get this trial done."
" Kah-Nuh-Ahm-Dahr." Then he screamed in pain, falling to his knees, I flinched.
" Sam?! What? What?! Talk to me! What?!"
" It's okay! It's okay!" Then he stopped being in pain," It's okay. I'm fine. It's done. It's done."

Dean was driving,
He said" You okay?"
Sam said" Yeah, I'll live."
" I buried Benny... but I didn't burn his bones. After he said he's try to get you out of there, it just didn't seem right. I know you got no use for him, but-"
" No, no, no. You know what? I get it. I do. He's a... he's a little different from what I thought. So, go ahead and leave the door open if you want."
" All right, well, let's go check in with prophet boy and see where he stashed that tablet."

They went into the boathouse, then came back out shortly,
I said" What's up?!"
Dean said" He ran off. Everything's gone."
" Oh, shit. He lost his mind!"