Title: 6.) Episode 1.06: "You'll Be in My Heart"
Description: (Original airdate: September 5th, 2008)
Sam451823 - December 5, 2008 02:20 AM (GMT)
It was nearly eight-thirty in the morning when he came out of the bathroom and caught Sam trying to do the impossible. Sam wanted to talk to his brother. And he meant now, not in a couple of months, not in a couple of years. Now.
“Dude, I get that you miss Dean like hell, but…” Travis trailed off when he saw Sam’s expression. “Sorry, wrong choice in words. What I’m trying to say is that this is impossible. It can’t be done.”
“Is it? I’ve been running around for months trying to find Lilith and every single time we get close to her, she’s pulls her vanishing act on us,” Sam argued. “I’m just… I’m just tired of waiting. I miss waking up every morning and seeing his face.” Travis raised an eyebrow toward him and Sam rolled his eyes. “Dude!”
Travis chuckled. “I’ll call some of my old buddies up. See what we can do, but where he’s at, it won’t be easy.”
“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Sam hissed. “But I have to find some way and try.” He looked down to the book he had been skimming through and slammed it shut. This was the sixteenth book he tried to find something in to contact his brother, and it was the sixteenth book that had nothing of the sort.
Travis took a seat in front of him. “Don’t do this to yourself, man.”
Sam looked at him and smirked. “You’re right.” He turned and grabbed a piece of paper that he had constructed a list out of. He shoved it in front of Travis’ nose. “You mind swinging by the store and picking up a few things?”
Travis looked over the list and eyed Sam. “Didn’t we get most of this stuff last month?”
Sam nodded. “But we’re running low on some stuff. Bottled water, salt, iron rounds.”
Travis checked the list again. “There are more than three things here.”
“Yeah? And?”
Travis backed away, his hands held out. “I don’t mind the extra workout.”
Sam tossed him the keys to the Impala. “Fill her up too.”
Travis caught them with one hand. “You got it, boss.” He turned and stopped at the door. “So have you talked to Ruby since…?”
Sam shook his head. “No, have you?”
Travis looked at the door to Ruby’s motel room and then back at Sam. “Nope,” he said, and headed out.
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Ruby sighed as she looked herself in the mirror. She had been staring at herself for what felt like hours, just trying to make sense of it all. Since Seattle, she had been questioning everything that she did. Why? She had no idea. That’s not what demons do. She met those soulless black eyes of hers and smashed the mirror.
She wanted to make this annoying feeling go away. Demons don’t have hearts. They never care who lives or dies. The only thing that she cared about was putting that Queen Bitch down for good. Sure, after Lilith dies and Dean gets freed, Sam would probably kill her. Not just for getting him and Travis arrested by Potter and almost putting an end to his chances of saving his brother, but for not telling him everything from the beginning. She fed him that crap about how she knew how to save Dean, and then she told him that only he could save his brother, hours before it was too late. Hell, she was the reason Dean was gone. Can you really work on the side of good, she thought to herself. Or will you always have evil in you, just like Sam?
Sighing again, Ruby walked over, flopping down on her bed. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV set. After flipping through each channel, she groaned and turned it off. “This sucks,” she spat, getting up. Ruby started for the bathroom before something moving over by the door caught her eye. Somebody was trying to get in.
She moved behind the door and counted backwards from three. She pushed the door shut and attacked the intruder, blocking his fist. Ruby grabbed the guy by his shoulders and head butted him good. She spun around and kicked the guy, sending him to the floor. When the adrenaline subsided, she figured out who he was. One look at his face made her blood boil. This was the man, rather demon that made her go out each night and kill all of those innocent people. All so he could get his hands on some crummy old artifacts. She shot him a dirty glare, whipping out her knife. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you where you stand!”
“Umm… sit?” Carson said in return. Ruby was too pissed off to play games. Carson grabbed his nose as it bled. “Whoa, that hurt.”
“Good,” she spat, tossing her hair behind her back. She felt the vibrations of the door as it flew open, almost hitting her. Sam came across the threshold.
Carson stood to meet his reluctant ally’s eyes. “Sam.”
“What is going on in…?” He stopped short, seeing the man who put his and his friends lives in the line of fire several times since meeting him. Every time he came around, something was up. He had a serious habit of telling them one thing, and it turning out to be something completely different. Like controlling his friend for one thing. “You better have a really good reason as to why you’re here.”
Carson grinned. “Where’s your friend?” He asked.
“Not here,” Sam responded, a little too quickly. “Now answer the question.”
Carson laughed softly. “I came to see you.”
Ruby crossed her arms. “In my room?”
Carson looked over at her and blew her a kiss. Seeing her expression was still hard, he turned his attention back to Sam and pulled out a book. “I have what you’re looking for.”
Sam squinted his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Carson saw the gesture and held the book out. “Take it. It won’t bite.”
Without impulse, Sam took the book and paged through it. “What am I looking for exactly?” He questioned.
“It’s a very specific spell. Everything has to be just right,” he said.
“Answer the question, jackass,” Ruby spat.
Sam shot her a glare and looked back at Carson. “What spell?”
Carson said, “It’s the spell you’re looking for. The spell that will allow you to contact Dean.”
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Opening Credits roll:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_AqUE4ywfQ
Theme Song: “Bring Me to Life,” Evanscence
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Chapter One:
Ruby scoffed unlike Sam who just stared blankly at him. Ruby looked to Sam, seeing all emotion leave his face, but one. Loss. “Sam, you can’t really be thinking of trusting him.”
Carson smiled at Ruby and then grinned at Sam. “I’m the only one who knows how to work this spell though.”
“What’s the catch?” Sam asked, as if snapping out of some kind of a trance. He wasn’t gonna let the demon mess with his mind again.
Carson laughed again. “There is no catch.”
Ruby raised her eyebrow. “There’s always a catch whenever you decide to drop by.”
“Ruby,” Sam said. She jumped at his tone.
“Don’t wanna piss the boss off,” Carson mused. He faced Sam again. “This is just me repaying for all those times that I…”
“Went behind our backs? Used us?” Travis said from behind Sam. Travis walked farther into the room and stood next to Sam. “Please tell me that he’s only here so that you can put Ruby’s blade in his damn heart!”
“That wasn’t how I was going to put it,” Carson answered. “But yes, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Yeah, right. A cold-hearted son of a bitch like you,” Travis said. “There is no way I’m buying that sorry crap again.”
Carson laughed for a third time. “Alright, you’re right. I’m not sorry. It was all in good fun. For me anyway. Truth is, I don’t give a damn if you don’t trust me, but I’m the only person who can help Sammy here get in touch with Dean. Of course, I gotta say. What you’ll hear won’t be pretty. Right now, Dean spends his days getting treated like a piece of meeting and spends his nights trying to put out the hellfire with his tears.”
Silence filled the room as glances were tossed between the rooms four occupants. After five long, grueling minutes, Ruby broke the silence. “Sam, you can’t trust him.”
“I trusted you and look where that got me,” Sam snapped. Ruby grew quiet again as Travis let his head slide down.
“So what’s it gonna be?” Carson inquired, acting like nothing had ever happened.
Just as Sam opened his mouth to speak, Ruby filled the air. “Sam, we need to talk.”
He looked at her and knew she was pissed. He was pissed too. Turning around, he walked through the door again, whispering, “Watch him,” to Travis as he passed him. Ruby walked past the two and closed the door behind her.
Travis kept his eyes on Carson. Something about this whole helping Sam crap just felt off, and the fact that Carson was as horrible a demon as they came wasn’t it. It was something else, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “So how is this supposed to work again?” He asked as Ruby and Sam yelled at each other in the hall.
Carson sighed, rolling his eyes. “I’ve told you already. Do I need to write it down for you so that you can remember this time, Blackie Chan?”
Travis glared at him, tapping the gun barrel against his thigh. Carson shivered mockingly. “Run it by me one more time.”
“Why? What do you care?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with the fact that whenever you try to help us, it always comes back to bite us in the ass. I’m just looking out for Sam because, and I can’t seem to get my head wrapped around it, he’s buying your bull.”
“It’s his brother?” Carson reminded him.
“He could find somebody else to help him. A shaman or somebody. You, I just don’t trust.”
“I agree with you there,” Ruby said, coming back into the room with Sam trailing behind her.
“So are we going to do this or did the Buffybot talk you out of it?”
Ruby shot him a glance. “I’m doing Sam a favor.”
“And you’re doing a crackerjack job, too! Tell me. Does stopping Sam from contacting his hellfire-roasted brother constitute as your good deed of the day?”
“I just don’t want Sam walking into this half-cocked,” Ruby argued.
“I think the boy can speak for himself. And judging by the way he’s looking, I’d shut your pretty little mouth if I were you.”
Sam stared between them as Travis picked the argument back up. “I agree with Ruby here, man.” He turned to look at Sam.
“He’s my brother,” was the whisper that escaped his lips. He honestly didn’t know what to do. A part of him knew that this was a bad idea. What would his dad have done? What would Dean have done? He had to make all these tough decisions on his own now. Is this the right thing to try? Probably not, but what other options did he have? He’d be stupid either way, but he had to hear his brother’s voice. Maybe he’d even get to see Dean’s face. He had to do this.
“Sam!” Ruby yelled as he met her gaze. “Tell him to take a hike.”
“Ruby, I can’t,” he said, his voice cracking with pain and hope rolled into one. “This might be my only chance for a very long time.”
“We’ll find another way, Sam. We’ll find help from a reliable source.”
Sam shook his head. “I’m doing this.”
“Fantastic,” Carson applauded, heading out of the room with a knapsack slung over his shoulder.
Travis looked at Sam. “Dude, why would you do that?”
Ruby ran up to Sam and grabbed him by his collar. She slammed him against the back of the door and tightened her grip on him. “You just walked into another trap, Sam.”
“Really? I didn’t notice,” Sam hissed, head butting her. She stumbled back and was about to go after him again, but Travis broke up the fight.
“He’s feeding you this garbage about Dean! He…” Ruby shouted in the beginning and then halted her words.
“You know Ruby? Funny thing, but I vaguely remember you doing the exact same thing when Dean was alive. Now I’m doing this spell with Carson. Whether you two are there or not is up to you.”
Ruby looked up at Travis. “I’m not leaving you alone with him,” he stated. “Something about this doesn’t feel right, but I’m with you.”
Sam looked at him, nodded a “thank you,” and turned to Ruby. “You with us or not?”
Ruby gripped her blade. “What other choice do I have?” She asked, and walked out of the room past Sam.
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Both of the guys entered their motel room behind Ruby. They saw Carson on the floor getting everything ready. Ruby stayed close to the back wall, mentally projecting a hole right through the demon’s empty heart. She looked at the men, then returned all of her focus and all of her anger on Carson.
“Everything’s ready,” he announced after several minutes. He looked up at Sam.
“What do I need to do?”
“Just take a seat,” Carson instructed, directing Sam to the center of the circle.
Sam looked to Travis and then to Ruby before joining Carson in the center of the ring with a strange symbol. Sam had seen the emblem before. He flashed back briefly to Pierre, South Dakota when he first met Carson. This was what was plastered onto the robe he had been sporting. It must’ve been his sigil. “Now what?”
“Close your eyes and focus all of your being on Dean.” Sam did as he was told, tuning out Carson’s Latin utterances and the tiny fan on the desk, as he focused every fiber in his body on his brother.
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Several minutes later, Travis moved in on Ruby noticing that something was amiss. “Should this be happening?”
“Carson,” Ruby started, stepping forward.
He shushed her. “We’re trying to concentrate.”
Ruby’s head shot to one of the nightstands as Chris Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over” started crackling through the speakers:
“I was blown away. What could I say? It all seemed to make sense. You’ve taken away everything. And I can’t deal with that. I try to find the good in life. But good things in life are hard to find. We’ll blow it away, blow it away. Can we make this something good? Well, I’ll try to do it right this time around.”
“Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on, right now,” Ruby spat, whipping back towards Carson and Sam.
They both opened their eyes. “Something’s wrong,” Carson said.
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked.
“Something’s in the way. Something’s blocking the spell.”
“Yeah, and we’re looking at it,” Travis said, going for his gun and raising it to the back of Carson’s head. “He’s just messing with your head, Sam,” he warned again.
“Put the gun down,” Sam said sharply.
Travis stared between him and Carson and bluntly lowered the gun. Ruby stood next to him, holding her knife in plain view. Carson looked over at Sam and said, “It worked.”
“Didn’t you just say…?” Sam began.
“I know what I just said, but something happened. Something cleared the pathway.”
“Where’s Dean then? Why can’t I hear him? Why can’t I see him? What aren’t you telling me, Carson?”
Carson looked to Sam and started to open his mouth when the motel room’s phone rang. Sam walked over to it. “Hello?” He asked into the receiver. “Hello?” He hung up when no voice returned his plea. “It was just static.”
Travis turned when a meek knock rapped against the door. Travis reached for the knob when Ruby shouted. “Travis, don’t open that door!” She was too late. As the hinge swung the wood towards Travis, a young man stood on the other side of it. How in the world? What the hell?
“Who is it?” Sam asked, joining him at the door. Sam didn’t know who the boy was, but he sure as hell knew that it wasn’t Dean.
“Come on, you chuckle heads, who’s at the damn door?!” Ruby yelled from the center of the room. She still had her knife sitting in her palm in case Carson tried anything. Travis muttered two words that Ruby thought she understood. “You wanna run that by me one more time?”
Travis dove for the boy and scooped him up in his arms. “My son,” he practically yelled. He carried the 7-year-old over to the bedside and sat him down. “Guys, this is my son, Jason Sheridan!”
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Chapter Two:
Neither Sam nor Ruby knew how to react. They just stared at the little boy and at Travis. “Well this is…” Ruby started.
Sam looked over to say something to her when his face fell flat. The exact spot where Carson was just a few minutes ago was absolutely nothing. “He’s gone,” he yelled out, rushing past her. Sam ran outside onto the balcony through the sliding glass door. He about-faced when he heard Ruby’s black leather boots clacking against the hardwood.
Ruby looked over the ledge and saw nothing other than a couple of cars and a large dumpster below. She looked over to the fireplace and yet again saw nothing. “Damn it,” she said, punching the wall.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Sam assured her.
“I let him get away, Sam,” Ruby yelled.
“So he’s gone? Again?” Travis asked, coming to join them.
“Well, tell me Travis. Do you see him anywhere?” Ruby inquired, annoyed and pissed off at both her and Travis.
“Ruby, calm down. I’ll find him,” Sam said.
Ruby stared at him and shook her head. “I’m not letting you go after him. Not alone anyway. That’s gotta be what he wants. One more wrong move and he could kill you, Sam. If it’s gonna come down to this demonic war, then the world won’t survive with every Winchester dead.”
“I’m fine, Ruby.”
“You can’t handle him alone. Not now,” she tried to make sense to him.
Sam sighed with frustration and threw his hands out toward her. “I just did the freaking spell with him. If it wasn’t for me, Ruby, then what happened in there, wouldn’t have happened.” Sam directed his attention to Travis, meeting his nervous gaze. “Is what Carson said about you and your family true?”
It took him a minute to understand the question. Then he tried changing the subject. “Are we gonna just let him get away?” Seeing that no one was willing to go anywhere at the moment, he turned around to walk back into the hotel room to grab his things when a hand grabbed onto his shoulder. Grinding his teeth, he spun and punched Ruby square in the face.
Ruby felt her lip and brought back blood. She glared at him and punched him back. After that, all hell broke loose amid the two of them. Finally, Sam caught some ground and got between them. “That’s enough.”
“I want answers. And this time, that bastard’s going to give ‘em to me,” Travis shouted.
As he began walking away from Sam, something happened. He and Ruby were forced against the walls. While Travis stared at the wall he was pressed against, Ruby stared at Sam. “How’d you do that?”
Sam raised his brow and looked at his hands that were out in front of him with one of each to one of the two of them. “I don’t know. I was just angry. Really, really angry.”
“Oooooo,” Travis mocked. “The Hulk’s angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry.”
After Sam’s telekinetic fit ended and Travis and Ruby were released from their respective grips, Travis looked over to where Jason was. That mystery was for later. For now, his son was… gone. “Guys,” Travis mumbled. “Where’s Jason?” Ruby and Sam looked around also. “Jase!” Travis called. “Jason!”
No, Travis thought to himself. He wouldn’t let history repeat itself. If that son of a bitch lays one hand on my boy, he continued thinking; I’ll kill him with my bare hands.
A set of hands twisted him around and forced his back to the wall. “Where’d he go?” Ruby interrogated.
“He’s probably just afraid.”
“Of course he’s afraid, Travis. He’s in a room with three living people and he’s dead!”
“Dead or alive, he’s still my son.”
Ruby scoffed. “That’s why you pulled the trigger on his skull!”
“I didn’t…” Travis trailed off.
And Sam saw right through him. “Ruby, back off.”
She faced him. “What? Why?”
“We have to find Jason and Carson.” Now he was truly pissed off. Not only because Carson tricked him again, but because he actually fell for it again. Hell, he was pissed that Carson had the balls to even mention Dean’s name in his presence.
Ruby pulled back and glared at Travis. “Fine, but Travis, don’t get too attached. Once we find Carson…”
“You’ll what?” He asked, already knowing what she was going to say.
“We’ll make him reverse the spell and Jason will be gone again,” Sam finished.
“Maybe,” he said as he pistol-whipped Sam, knocking him out cold. “And maybe not.” He caught Ruby’s hand in the air as she swung it at him. With her in his grip, he elbowed her in the back of the neck. He spun around and kicked her across the face. “I’m not going to let you take my son away from me,” he said as he bolted out the door. He had to find Jason before Ruby or Sam did. Or worse. Before Carson did.
Ruby hit the floor, hard, next to Sam. Travis was not strong enough to knock her out as he had Sam, but she was stunned. Stunned enough for the lights to go out around her.
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Jason sat on the bed with his hands over his ears, trying futilely to block out the noise. It was still there. He needed to get away from it, but he also needed his father. Why was he ignoring him?
Getting to his feet, he looked over at the door. Someone was calling him. Someone familiar.
Running to the door, he slipped out of it and ran down to the motel’s front lobby. He pushed through the heavy, glass door and went out onto the sidewalk. Glancing both ways, he darted over to the nearest alley where the recognizable voice was emanating from. Turning sharply, as if on a mission, he ran to a door at the end of the alley.
Carson stepped out from behind the dumpster sitting next to it. When Jason heard Carson’s Loafers shuffle on the stone ground behind him, he turned. Carson took hold of the boy’s shoulder. “Jedediah,” Jason said to Carson with a smile etched onto his mouth. The first time somebody had used his real name in over a century.
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Travis ran outside and down the hallway, scanning the closed doors for his son. “Jason!”
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Ruby stirred around from Travis’ attack to the sound of a name being called in the distance. She grabbed her jaw and cracked it, glancing around the room. She was going to kill Travis when she got a hold of him. This was the second time he kicked her ass, though the first one was just revenge. Ruby looked over and slapped Sam across the part of his face she could get to. “Sammy! Wake up!”
Sam furrowed his brows as he moved groggily, feeling the pain coming in from the left side of his head. “Oh God, what happened?” He asked as he moved his index finger up to his forehead and felt something warm and runny. He pulled his finger down to see the crimson liquid, confirming his suspicions that he was bleeding from his head. Looking over, he saw Ruby’s face frowning down on him. Then everything came back to him like a punch to the guy. “Travis,” he yelled to no one in particular as he made his way to his feet.
“He pulled another one over on our asses,” Ruby grunted. “But as soon as we find him, nothing’s going to stop me from ripping him a new one!” Sam shook his head as the dizziness passed. He knew how angry she was. He was too. They both stood and went for their weapons. “Think Jason’s going to find Carson?”
“What kind of business would Jason have with Carson?”
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put this puzzle together, brainiac. You do understand that we demons have a habit for lying about things if it means fitting our own agendas.”
“Oddly, I never quite get that until it bites me in the ass.”
She froze at his tone. She didn’t know if he was being sarcastic or not. Shrugging off a comeback, Ruby ran to the door. “We’ll split up. You search for Travis and Jason. I’ll go hunt Carson down.” She said and just before running out over top of the threshold, she turned and said, “Sam, promise me that you won’t go looking for Carson.” Reluctantly, he nodded and she left.
Sam looked down at the ground. “This didn’t work, but believe me Dean, I’ll keep trying.” And with that, he left the room behind.
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Chapter Three:
It was quiet. But Travis wasn’t stupid. He hadn’t failed to notice that Carson had left an ever so subtle trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow. A button from Jason’s shirt here. One of his shoelaces there. Every now and then an audible laugh that echoed down a distant alleyway that led Travis in a wild sprint in their direction. He was being pulled into a trap and he knew it. But he didn’t care. He couldn’t do anything other than chase them down. It was his son. It was his last chance to get him back. To make up for everything. To have a piece of his family back again.
The trail led him to a small home at the end of the block. It was obviously lived in, well kept in an old Victorian-style of blue and white trimming. But apparently, no one was home. With the exception of the cracked front door that was beckoning him inside. From Travis’ vantage point across the street, hiding in the alleyway with gun in hand, he watched as Carson peered out into the night, smiling evilly. He knew that Travis was out there, waiting and watching. He wanted him to follow. Fine. Then so freaking be it.
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The Impala’s headlights brightened the dimly lit streets of the town as Sam drove at a slow pace. The low rumble of the engine was all that kept him company, the radio turned down, Ruby giving chase to their prey in another direction, and Travis on his own agenda. As much as his head throbbed at the moment, Sam couldn’t be angry with Travis. He just couldn’t. The man was trying to save his son. It was as simple as that. What was Sam trying to do when it came to Dean? The familial relationship might be different, but the point and purpose were the same. But right now, he was the one with the huge lump and splitting migraine.
A figure came into view in the distant glare of the headlights, and as it passed, stopping when it saw the car, Sam saw it to be Ruby. He stopped the car and Ruby approached, getting into the passenger side. “Anything?” He asked.
“Would I be getting into the car by myself if I’d found them?”
”Good point,” Sam agreed, and then sighed. “Guess we keep going.”
”And pray we pick up a trail?” Ruby said. “Needle in a haystack.”
”Most direct route from where we were,” Sam said. “And maybe we should park the car, go on foot. This is Carson we’re talking about. He wouldn’t pull anything like this unless he wanted us to find him. Every time that he’s pulled something, he’s wanted us to track him down. Wanted something from us. He doesn’t want to run. He wants us after him.”
Ruby smirked, nodding approvingly. “Finally thinking the way I hoped you would, Sammy. I’m impressed.”
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As Carson moved back inside, leaving the door cracked. Travis looked back and forth across the street, making sure that his way was clear. Seeing that no sentries apparently stood watch for Carson, he moved quickly across the street, keeping his gun low and hidden at his side, but at the ready.
Moving across the yard he tiptoed quickly up the porch, peering into the cracked doorway. Inside he saw his son sitting on the couch, Carson in front of the fireplace. The two were talking. But what disturbed him more than the conversation, was the ease with which Jason sat with him. As if he was comfortable with him. His son was always raised to be wary of strangers. Yet with Carson… things seemed very different. As if… as if, Jason knew him. It was as if they were friends.
“But he’s my Daddy,” Jason said. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“You don’t remember, Jason,” Carson said calmly. “And that’s okay. But it wasn’t you anyway. It was the demon that had hold of you. The bad and nasty thing that was making you do all those naughty things.”
“Naughty things?”
To Jason’s question, Carson nodded. “Yes…naughty things. To your mother. Your sisters. And almost your father. That’s why your Daddy…”
“That’s enough!” Travis busted down the door, barreling into the room. Flask of holy water in one hand and his gun cocked and ready in the other. Travis moved to stand beside the couch next to his son, eyes trained on Carson.
As Carson smiled at him, Jason looked up in shock and at the same time a happy smile. “Daddy!”
“Son, it’s time to go,” Travis said, not taking his look away from Carson.
Jason’s smile faded as he looked from his father to Carson, and then back again. “Daddy… did… did you kill me?” Travis’ hand began to shake, swallowing hard, but never removing his eyes from the demon in front of him. “Daddy… where’s mommy and Erika and Katie?”
“Son…”
”Come on, Sheridan,” Carson said, smiling. “Tell him.”
As the taunting continued, Travis didn’t even notice that Sam and Ruby had made their way into the home. The two stopped dead at hearing the conversation, Sam holding an arm out against Ruby’s chest, stopping her in her tracks. This was Travis’ fight.
Travis’ eyes misted, still watching Carson, his gun hand shaking even more as the memories assailed him. “You were possessed, son,” he said, his voice cracking. “The demon… it was the demon, Jason. It wasn’t you. You have to know that. You didn’t do anything wrong, son. Nothing at all. But the demon… it killed mommy, sweetie. Erika and Katie too. I tried to stop it, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know then what I know now.” Unable to hold his gaze away any longer, Travis looked over at his son, tears sliding down. “I’m sorry. I tried to stop it from hurting your sisters. I didn’t mean for it to take you away from me too. I didn’t know. I swear, Jason.”
“Oh God,” Sam muttered, a swell of pity for the man welling up in him. “Travis…”
Before anyone could react or say another word, Travis’ gun was pulled from his hand by Carson with an unseen force, Travis thrown back out of the way against the wall. Sam let go off Ruby as she charged in, but Carson lifted a heavy iron poker from the fireplace with his powers, throwing it full force at her. It was buried in her stomach, the force of it pinning her against the wall beside Travis.
Sam reacted in wide-eyed shock as Jason stood, crying out for his father. Carson moved over to the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder. “He won’t hurt you again, Jason,” Carson said. “There’s no need to worry.”
Sam moved closer, slowly, cautious to move too fast for fear of what Carson might do. Jason would be sent back to where he belonged by reversing the spell. Not by getting killed again by any other means. That was monstrous. The natural order of things would prevail and that only. He’d make sure of that. But Carson looked up, pulling Jason close to him, the boy crying as he looked on to his father.
“So this was it?” Sam said. “Were you after the boy the entire time? Trying to mess with Travis’ head, my head? Every one of you freaks has some sort of game, so what in the hell is yours and why does it keep circling around me and mine?”
Carson laughed, patting Jason gently on the head. “Until you get wise enough to figure that out, Winchester, I’m just going to keep on keeping on. My secret. Not yours.”
“Get your damn hands off of him!” Travis snarled. “That’s my boy, you bastard!”
“Not anymore,” Carson cooed. “You killed your boy. Remember, Travis? Shot him in cold blood. Such a shame. Not very nice of you either. I mean, your own son. How could you do that to him?”
“You son of a…”
“Language, Sheridan,” Carson said. “Child present.” Sam moved closer, but Carson noticed, pulling back with Jason. The boy whimpered, the sound letting Sam know one important thing: the comfort that Jason was exhibiting earlier when he and Ruby entered was now replaced with fear. Fearful of what was going on. And despite what he had heard in the past few minutes, he kept staring at Travis with pleading eyes. He wanted his father to save him.
“Time to end this,” Sam said. “Travis is going to give his son that memory of him before he goes back.”
In a desperate and quick run, Sam vaulted over the couch and made line straight for Carson. The demon saw it coming, his face screwed in anger as he sent a lamp from a nearby table sailing straight at Sam’s head. It connected, sending sharp pain through an already sore and throbbing Sam. He staggered, hitting his knees. But he looked up at Carson, a piercing anger building inside him.
Carson had tricked him into believing that he could connect with his brother again. And Sam believed it.
He destroyed Travis by bringing his son back, and shattering him right in front of the child.
Sam had had enough of this bastard.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Sam pulled himself to his feet, clenching his right fist sharply as his anger reached a boiling point. The action was followed by a sharp burst of pain through Sam’s head that made him flinch. The next second, he watched as Jason was wrenched by an unseen force from Carson’s grip, flying across the living room and to the floor. Carson, unable to hold his grip on the child, stood and stared at Sam in shock, his concentration lost on holding Travis, who fell to the floor beside a still-pinned Ruby.
This time, Sam wasn’t confused or shocked by the action. He remembered what had happened before. He remembered what had happened two years ago when locked in the closet, trying to save Dean from being shot. Obviously, Ruby was right. And that very thought scared him.
The visions weren’t his only talent. And for whatever reason, these powers were starting to come back around.
“So,” Carson snarled. “The littlest Winchester is finally starting to grow up.” A sharp cry of pain emitted from Ruby, and Sam could see from his peripheral vision that Travis yanked the poker from her stomach, freeing her from the wall. She clutched her injury as Travis and Jason held each other tightly, the child whimpering lightly in his father’s arms.
“Scared?” Sam challenged Carson, a smirk on his face. “You should be.”
Carson chuckled. “Carnival show, kid. Just a carnival show. You aren’t ready for Broadway yet. But I can promise you that whether you like it or not, you’ll get familiar with it soon enough.”
Sam was ready to end it, ready to stop the mindless conversation and destroy the bastard, when a sudden chanting from his side caught his ear. Everyone turned their heads to see Ruby leaning against the wall, holding her bloodied stomach and chanting an incantation that Sam was familiar with, but had never used. Did she really think that this would work?
Apparently it would, as suddenly, Jason began to shake and convulse in Travis’ arms.
“Jason?” Travis exclaimed, grabbing hold of his son. “Jason!”
“No!” Carson shouted. He snarled at Ruby. “Damn you!”
“Sorry about your luck, Carson,” Sam said. “Since we didn’t have a reversal on your little spell thanks to your secret keeping, obviously Ruby did her homework. Since this is as close to necromancy as a person can get, a good counter-curse sounds like just the thing. Good thing Ruby thought so too.”
As Ruby continued to chant, Travis fought to hold on to his son, who was losing his ability to hold himself together in his father’s arms. He looked up at Travis, fear in his deep brown eyes, but smiling. “I know… you didn’t… wanna… hurt me… Daddy. It’s... okay…”
”Son… God, please just stay with me.” Sam kept his gaze leveled on Carson, but he wanted so badly to go to Travis and help him. Travis knew as well as Sam that his son couldn’t stay. He just couldn’t. He wasn’t meant to be here, not like this. It wasn’t natural. It was black, it was dangerous. And who knew what his son could turn into if he stayed.
And in those thoughts, Sam began to think of himself. Of what Dean had brought back. Shouldn’t that honestly mean that he shouldn’t be here for those reasons either?
As Ruby finished, Sam heard the last gasp escape a young Jason, followed by a startled cry from Travis. The sound distracted Sam for the briefest moment, causing him to turn his head to look. He saw Travis kneeling on the floor where he had been holding his son, the boy no longer there. He was completely gone. And Travis was emotionally destroyed, hands braced on the floor as he fought to hold his emotions steady.
“Sam!” Ruby’s voice caught Sam’s ears just as Carson bolted past him, shoving him to the ground with a fierce thud. Sam hit the coffee table hard on his back, looking up just in time to see Carson’s retreating form through the front doorway. Ruby moved forward, a bloodied hand extended to help Sam to his feet. He took it, the two standing by the couch, Sam cursing under his breath as he stared at the now empty doorway.
“Damn it!”
"What in the hell is this all about?" Ruby muttered, semi-breathless as she clutched her slowly healing stomach. "Why does this bastard keep playing these games with all of us?”
"I don't know," Sam said. "But it’s obvious now that Carson is stringing us along. If he wanted us dead, he would have made sure it happened in Kentucky. He's finding each of our weak spots, pushing our buttons." Sam's gaze fell towards Travis, and his heart sunk in pity, grief, and anger towards Carson as he saw his friend on his knees on the ground, a broken shell over the loss of his son for the second time. He stared at the ground, unmoving and not speaking, silent in his pain. And Sam's face screwed in anger as he muttered, "But one thing’s for certain. I’m gonna find out why.”
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Epilogue:
Sam walked into his and Travis’ room and saw his friend yet again laying on his bed. The sun came through the window and cast a reflection against a medallion that Travis had spent his time twiddling between his fingers.
Sam had never seen the thing before. To lead into a conversation, Sam said, “You’ve been messing around with that thing an awful lot. What is it?”
Travis looked up, his eyes still misted up. Sam’s question apparently had taken him by surprise. “Jason. Or what I have left of him anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“That demon, the one that possessed him. You see, it sat there, in my son, taunting me. It made Jase hold a 12-gauge to my head and then it just kept going on and on. It kept rattling about how I was too late to save my wife. How I was too insignificant to save my daughters. That’s when I snapped. I grabbed the gun from Jason and I shot him. Point blank.”
Travis stood up and slammed his fist on the table. Sam was compelled to do what he could for his ally. “Travis it wasn’t your fault. Even Jason knows it. You didn’t hurt him. You hurt the thing inside of him. But that’s the problem with this world, with this war. Sometimes innocent people get caught in the crossfire.”
“Then why does it feel like I betrayed my only boy?! Why does it feel like if I hadn’t grabbed that gun, if I had let him pull the trigger on me, then he’d still be alive?!”
“You don’t know that. For all anybody knows, the demon killed Jason before it even possessed him.”
Travis looked down at his medallion, defeated. Sam was right. He answered Sam’s earlier question, “It’s the demon.”
“What?”
“That’s what’s in it. The demon that possessed him. When I shot Jason, it crawled out of him. Tried sliding away unnoticed. But I saw it. And I caught it. Snared it in this.” He held the medallion to eye level and poked it. The orb began glowing a bright green and emitted an awful sound. “Shut up, you son of a bitch!” Travis shouted at it. “You deserve what you got! Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole!” The din ended and glow lessened.
“I thought you were no good at containments?”
“One time deal. You gotta kill the possessed to trap the possessor. Trick a priest friend taught me. Turns out he’s a hunter too.” He tucked the medallion in his shirt pocket. “Pastor Jim Murphy.”
“I’m sorry, who?”
“Jim Murphy. Why? You know him?”
“Yeah, he was my dad’s friend before he died. Demon.”
“Figured as much when I heard the news,” Travis said. “But never knew for sure.”
Once Sam had a chance to think about it, he thought that Travis should get rid of that medallion. Destroy it and the demon within. No, he thought then. It’s the only thing he’s got to remind him of his family, of who he’s fighting for.
Sam slung his twin duffels over his shoulders when Ruby came in the door. “Are you boys ready yet? Enough sulking.”
“Ruby, don’t.”
“I’d take his hint, Precious. Otherwise, I’ll make your face symmetrical and give you another noticeable bruise over your left eye.”
“I’d like to see you try, Sheridan.” Travis went for it, a right hook straight for Ruby’s left eye. Of course, she saw it coming. Grabbed his arm, spun him forward onto the floor and his back, and held her heel to his throat. With a very sweet and innocent tone, she said, “Want another go?”
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With the Impala loaded, Sam said, “I’ll go pick up the bill.”
Travis, seeming to be in a bit of better mood, put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, stopping him. “I got this one.” He pulled out a Visa card with the name “Jason Maxwell” printed on it in shiny, silver letters. A salute to his son, Jason Maxwell Sheridan.
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The bill paid, Sam behind the wheel, Ruby up front and Travis in the back. Things were back to normal. As normal as they’ll ever be.
Sam peeled out of the parking lot leaving Raleigh, North Carolina in the rearview mirror.
Travis took one final look at the town and started to hum “You’ll Be In My Heart,” by Phil Collins. It was Jason’s favorite song from his favorite movie. Tarzan.
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End Credits roll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veChXVojUZY
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