38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Erik Kripke, Warner Brothers and quite possibly others who are not mentioned here. No money will be made from this fan fiction.

Summary: When Dean goes to sell his soul at the crossroads to bring Sam back, someone else steps in to negotiate the deal. Cas did get a sign and it sent him off into the past to change things. AU from The Man Who Would be King and All Hell Breaks Loose.

It's All in the Details

By Colleen

Chapter 38

Cas frowned as he stared at the opening of Chuck's latest manuscript. "Is this the only version you're seeing?"

The author nodded. "Yeah. I meant to say something about that during the last story. Bits from this timeline crept into the narrative and I never saw a second version. I think where it can; the realities are starting to blend."

"Which bits?"

"During my manuscript for Yellow Fever, when Dean was suffering from hallucinations, he called out for help from his patron god, Kaseva. He felt stronger after he did."

Cas nodded. "Yes, I helped as much as I could. Dean told me it worked."

"Mmm. Thing is, I didn't see a version where he didn't call to Kaseva for help. There was only one storyline this time and it's the current one."

"The change was a minor one."

Chuck nodded and then pointed at the computer screen. "Yeah, but if this is anything to go by, it's starting to affect the bigger ones."

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Luke Wallace watched his wife and son head up the stairs before turning to the cupboard where she'd stored the Halloween candy. Opening it, he chose the bigger container of sweets and popped the lid. Taking out a piece, he checked behind him to make sure his wife hadn't come back down, before unwrapping it and preparing to pop it into his mouth.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you."

Wallace was surprised enough that he dropped the candy as he turned and backed away from the voice at his side.

"What?"

"The candy. I'm sure it won't be good for your health."

Luke looked over the man in front of him. About 5' 8" or so and…well, dapper was the first thought that came to mind, especially with the English accent. Though that didn't explain why Luke Wallace felt his skin crawling just looking at him.

"Who the hell are you?"

The man gave him a smile that appeared to pain him. "Just think of me as the Halloween Candy Kiss Fairy."

"Uh."

"It's my job to make sure no Halloween treat is eaten before its time."

Luke gave his head a short, sharp, shake. "You're kidding?"

The guy stared at him for a moment. "Of course I am."

Then he flicked his fingers.

When Luke came to a few seconds later, the man was pulling something out from behind the refrigerator. He looked over the little tied bag he held in his hand and snorted.

"Witches." He shook his head. "No matter how powerful, you'd be hard pressed to find one that could come up with anything new."

A few steps across the room and he scooped up the piece of candy Luke had dropped.

"In future, when your wife tells you not to eat something, you might want to pay attention."

Luke blinked and the man was gone.

"Luke, what's taking you so long?" His wife walked into the kitchen, holding the baby. Not sure what to say, he groaned and cradled his head in his hands, flinching when he found the growing lump on his head from where it had impacted with the kitchen cabinets.

Concerned, his wife put the baby into the high chair and came over to help him up.

"Luke?"

"I think I slipped."

"You think?"

He nodded and then wished he hadn't as pain sparked across the surface of his skull.

"Hit my head…" Yes, that was it, he'd hit his head, everything else… never happened.

And he maintained that, even after the trip to the hospital.

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Uriel had moved on past simply disliking his new assignment and was now travelling a road that felt a lot like hate. Every time he turned around, the Winchesters managed to disappear on him. It didn't seem to matter how many times he got rid of those hex bags, there was always another set ready to go in a matter of hours.

He'd had to go to Castiel twice now to find out where they were, as the Thursday angel was still the only one that could find them when they were using the bags. After the second time Castiel had suggested that Uriel buy a cell phone and call the next time he lost them.

And he'd actually considered it.

He needed off this detail.

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Castiel looked over from where he stood behind the prophet as two angels appeared in the room.

"Uriel, Rachel."

Uriel had noticed that Castiel seemed to be increasingly uncomfortable in the blonde angel's presence. At first he'd thought that he'd finally caught a clue and was coming to understand the regard she held for him. However, if that were the case, then surely he would have acted on it in one way or the other by now. Instead, he just continued to be uneasy and even pained when in her presence.

He could tell that Rachel had noticed, but apparently hadn't worked up the courage to confront him about it yet.

"Castiel, we have new orders. Rachel will cover your position here while they are being fulfilled."

The trench coat wearing angel raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing against it.

"Where are we to go?"

"I will tell you, but first, we must find the Winchesters…"

"You've lost them again?"

Uriel gritted his vessel's teeth. "… and have them meet us there."

"Give me the location. I will see to it."

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One moment they're driving down the road, headed towards a ghost hunt. The next, they're two states over and parked on a pleasant residential street in a nice little town.

"Apologies."

The brothers jumped slightly and both of them turned to look in the back seat.

"Damn it Cas. Ask before you go moving us."

"It was an emergency."

Dean rubbed at the spot of pain that took sudden root between his eyes. "When isn't it?"

"Two witches are attempting to break one of the seals and raise the demon Samhain, who in turn would raise every evil thing in creation and unleash it on the world."

Dean stopped in mid rub and Sam's mouth dropped open.

"The first blood sacrifice failed, but only because a demon stepped in and stopped it."

Dean's hand dropped away from his face and he gave his friend his best 'you've got to be kidding me' look.

Sam decided to use actual words. "A demon?"

"Crowley."

"Why?" Sam looked at his brother, who shrugged. "Why would he step in to stop it?"

Cas' brow furrowed up as he thought the question over. "I don't know. I only know about it because I was reading over Chuck's shoulder." He pointed at the closest house to them. "Go there. Stop what is about to happen."

Before they could draw breath to ask, he was gone.

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The fastest way to stop something bad from happening at a party, evacuate it. A group of costumed teenagers made themselves scarce as two DEA agents ordered them out of the house and began a search for a reported drug stash. A blonde and a brunette, dressed respectively as a cheerleader and a naughty nurse caught Dean's attention, for obvious reasons, but also because they didn't leave as quickly as they could have. He collected their names, told them they'd be in touch and showed them out of the house.

Justin watched them go, wishing he could leave with them, but no such luck.

"Guys, honest, there's nothing here. There are no drugs. We didn't even have any booze."

The taller of the two agents pulled a tied brown bag out of the couch cushions and held it up. "Found it."

"It's not mine." Crap. No, no, no. He wasn't going down for someone else's stash.

The shorter agent, who still wasn't very short, gave him a smirk. "You better hope it isn't. Because you won't like what happens if it is."

Justin was envisioning handcuffs and the backseats of police cars while the agents ran a quick search of the rest of the house. He was embarrassed when they found his porn stash and horrified at the open box of condoms they found in his parents room. He was trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his parents were still having sex when the two agents told him to keep his nose clean and left, without arresting him.

He'd never know that it was his shock over the condoms that convinced the two of them that he wasn't a witch. Only a normal teenager would be surprised to find that their parents hadn't stopped doing it once they'd had him.

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Technically the hex bag was still a bomb waiting to go off. Sam had put enough of the things together in the last while that de-powering this one wasn't exactly easy, but it was doable. Once it was safe, he opened it and started going over the contents.

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Dean had gone out while Sam was working on the bag. He didn't like the things and he always felt uneasy when Sam worked on them, even when they were the ones Cas taught him to make. He'd always had this niggling feeling that if they hadn't been hunters that Sam would have had the potential to made one scary witch, so watching him work with the things was… uncomfortable.

And yes, he knew it was hypocritical of him, when he was more than capable of putting a spell or ritual together when he had too. It was just that for him it was a tool, while Sam seemed to be fascinated by the entire process.

Dean used the time to pick up a few supplies and came back to the motel room, snacking on some Halloween candy. Sam looked up from the book he was consulting and shook his head.

Dean smirked at him, stuffed another candy into his mouth and joined him on the arm of the couch.

"Anything interesting?"

Sam nodded. "Cas was right, it's a witch-hunt. Only this... is not your typical hex bag."

"No?" That was something coming from someone who routinely put together ones that an angel had taught him to make.

Sam picked up a skeletal swirl of a dried plant. "Goldthread. An herb that's been extinct for 200 years." He traded it for an old coin. "And this is Celtic and I don't mean some New-Age knockoff. It looks like the real deal, like 600-years-old real."

Dean picked up the third item in the bag and gave it a sniff.

"And that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby."

Dean put it down very quickly. "Oh, gross."

"Relax, man." Sam picked it up. "It's at least a hundred years old."

And there was that fascination again.

"Oh, right, like that makes it better. Witches man, so freaking skeevy."

Dean blinked and right then realized that if there was a reason that Sam's interest would never go any further than it already had, then he'd just voiced it. His brother might always do what needed to be done, might even find it intellectually stimulating, but he'd never get the same enjoyment out of it that the witch who'd set this trap would have. Maybe at one time Dean would have feared that for his brother. Hell, there were times he feared it for himself, but ever since Sam had dealt with Brady, it felt as if some of that darkness had been burned out of them, in payment of the deed.

Unaware of the tangent Dean's thought processes had taken, Sam nodded in agreement with his brother opinion of witches. "Yeah. Well, it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together. Ruby might have been able to pull it off…

Dean blinked, surprised. It had been awhile since his brother had mentioned the witch turned demon. Sam however, didn't miss a beat.

"…but this is more juice than we've ever had to deal with ourselves, that's for sure."

"Don't sell yourselves short boys. Given the things you deal with even a witch this powerful should be a walk in the park."

The speed with which the two of them could pull weapons seemingly out of nowhere would have been impressive to most. The 'man' standing in the middle of their motel room merely gave them a snort and looked around.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know who lifted twelve bottles of Craig whiskey off of me and replaced it with Old Rotgut, would you?"

"Crowley?"

"Yes darlings, that is my name. Now answer the damn question."

Strangely, the two hunters relaxed… slightly.

"Can't say for sure, though Bobby mentioned something about Loki giving him a really nice present."

Crowley said something that neither of them understood, but it hurt their ears and the varnish on the table next to the demon started to bubble up and smoke. The current 'King of the Crossroads' gave it an annoyed look and then put it out with a snap of his fingers.

"Should have known." He gave the two hunters a look. "You going to point those at me all day?"

Grimacing, Sam and Dean lowered their guns. They didn't put them away.

Sam glanced at the open hex bag and then back to Crowley. "How'd you find us?"

"Despite the efforts of pagan gods and angels, I can track you wherever I want."

Dean just backed out of the way and let Sam bitch face the truth out of the demon.

Crowley's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. Taking a wild guess that you two boy scouts would end up here, I hit every motel in town looking for a rental for two queens with idiotic names."

"Hey."

Crowley smirked at Dean before his face fell into a frown. "I tried tracing you by your car, but I never could find the Impala I was looking for."

Both hunters made a choking noise that had Crowley narrowing his eyes at them. He didn't bother to ask. He was fairly certain that he knew the reason for that little problem.

Dean got over his amusement first. "Question, why are you here? It can't have just been so you could bitch about the scotch."

"I'm sautéing two birds with one frying pan."

"And now I'm worried that we're the birds."

It was Crowley's turn to laugh. "Ah, if only that were so. No, Meg's paranoid about messing with the seals until after the last one reforms. So I'm keeping them intact, while keeping the bitch happy with me, at least until a couple of hunters I know get off their arses and do something about her." The demon raised his voice for the last part of the sentence before continuing in a quieter vein. "Surely Brady gave you something you could use?"

"We're still trying to put that together with the stuff we got from Niveus." Sam told him somewhat defensively.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Delaying sounds more like it. Don't wait too long, because she won't."

"Wait. Ah, crap." Sam looked disgusted as he found himself talking to thin air.

"You wanted him to stick around?" Dean asked him.

"He's got to know more than we do about what's going on. At the very least, it would have been good to know who the first target was. It might tell us who the next one would be."

"Maybe we just need to go at it from another angle." Dean suggested.

"How so?"

"Well, Cas did tell us who the witches are trying to raise…"

"Samhain." Two seconds later, Sam was immersed in one of his books. He barely even heard his brother when Dean told him he was going to go out and check with a couple of witnesses.

He was long gone before Sam remembered that no one had actually seen anything.

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Naughty nurse was more obviously jailbait without the costume. She was also freaked that one of the DEA agents from the party the night before had turned up on her doorstep.

"If you would be more comfortable with one of your parents here I can come back when they're home."

"Oh, hell no." Eyes wide and mortified, Jenny slapped a hand over her mouth.

Dean couldn't help but smile. "You'd rather they didn't know."

She nodded, vigorously.

"Then let's do this now. With any luck I'll be out of your hair in a few minutes."

"Okay." She invited him in and they sat down at the table in the dining room.

"Um, is Justin in any trouble?"

He gave her a long look. "You've got a thing for him, don't you? That's why you and cheerleader were hanging around after."

The kid actually blushed. "Maybe? So, is he, in trouble I mean?"

Dean shook his head. "Nah, but someone was trying to make some for him. They planted something at the party, but we're fairly certain it isn't his."

"Oh."

"Do you know anyone who might have it out for Justin? Or who might have a serious grudge against someone else at the party?"

She thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No, I mean, not so much that they'd try to have him arrested."

Dean's eyebrows rose slightly, because whoever it was, they'd been trying for something a lot worse than just legal problems.

"What about the girl who was with you?" He checked his notes. "Tracy Davis. Did she mention noticing anything odd?"

Jenny shook her head. "No." She paused for a moment, as if remembering something and then shook her head again.

"Jenny?" Dean dragged her name out as a long question.

Jenny shrugged. "It's nothing."

Dean could stare down angels and demons. One teenager was nothing.

"She seemed more disturbed about you guys showing up than I would have expected her to be."

"More disturbed than everyone else?"

"Well, no, but see, they were all worried that their parents would find out, and Tracy… She already lives on her own."