Chapter Text
Author's notes: Authors Note: This is the seventh installment in the Sam, Dean and Theo stories, if you are new to this a little background info is in order. Basically Theo is an angel on parole and his parole officers are Sam and Dean, they are also his penance. He is to work with them for a period of 10 years; this story takes place 8 years after the initial pairing. If you’re curious now about how this came about go back and read “Tremors”, “My Mechanic is an angel.”, and “All Day Suckers.” By the way my most special thanks to “Writing_in_secret” for the idea of Bobby giving the couple a trailer in the back of his lot. An d giving me permission to play with that story tool. By the way again for those who haven’t read my earlier work, I do have God himself popping in from time to time, the near apocalypse basically warned him that he’d been a bit lax in keeping an eye on the worlds smaller frame of people. And to get a mental image of God, I usually describe him a nattily dressed, spiked haired young man, someone who would fit in a crowd; actually he would stand out because I picture him as the Doctor in Dr. Who with David Tennant as the Doctor. ;^) Hope you enjoy.
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Illchester, Maryland, Present Day
“Your Eminence we have tried to go back into that property to clear it up and make it inhabitable again but we are being balked by something that is preventing access to the property.” Father Arlan said as he approached the Bishop about the property which was in the 70’s St. Mary’s Convent. “The workers that we’ve hired will go into the property and come screaming out before an hour is done. The local mission will not go on the property and the local Parish refuses to have any connections with it.”
“You’re saying they are acting like its haunted or defiled. It was defiled but I have gone in myself and blessed the place.” The bishop reached for the telephone, “Sister Claire, get me the rector at St. Mary’s in Illchester. Thank you.”
The phone took a few minutes to connect but when it did it was with a very tense rector. “Your Eminence we regret that we have no one in the Parish willing to enter that property or even go near it now.”
“And why is that?” The bishop asked unctuously.
“Sir, two workers from the church who are members of the pipefitters union went in to investigate the plumbing and pipeworks. They’ve not been heard from when a team of our people with the police went in to find them they found them in the boiler room and control center.”
“Be clear man, did they find them in the boiler room or the control center?”
“Both and in between, they’d been totally dismembered and their bodies scattered.
Sioux Falls, SD.
“I don’t care, I’m not going.” Sam Winchester came out of the bedroom clutching his jaw.
“It’s just a filling probably, quit being a baby about this.” Dean said following him out.
“Baby, my ass, the last time I went I got nailed for four fillings and an extraction, the answer’s no.” Sam reiterated.
“Well you can hardly eat now, and as far as sex goes, face it wonderboy, you can hardly expect to give a blowjob if your jaw feels like it’s going to come unhinged.
Sam grumped and sunk into the sofa, “I could get Theo to use some of his Angel mojo on it.” Sam said brightening.
“That would be just great if Theo weren’t on that hunting trip with Bobby, get your ass off that sofa we’re going to the dentist right now.” Dean commanded.
Sam griped all the way to the car, across town to the dentist’s office and into the reception area. “He probably won’t take a walk in anyway.” Sam muttered, and then he got to the window with Dean.
“Oh Mr. Winchester, good you’re right on time, come on back and we’ll get an x-ray and try to get that pain stopped for you.”
Sam gave Dean a nasty look and followed the nurse. In the office they proceeded to x-ray and the nurse turned all Miss Efficiency Sam grumped. “I’ll have to get Dr. Lakeland to take a look at this but it looks like a root canal is in order.
“Oh shit.” Sam muttered.
“Don’t worry, here.” She dipped a swap in some “Numbzit” and applied it to the gum line of the infected area.
Sam didn’t want to admit it but it was starting to feel better now that the agent was going to work on the tooth. The dentist came in momentarily and looked at the x-ray, “um-hmm, that’s going to need a root canal, we can open it today and get some of the pressure off, you’ll be a lot more comfortable then, and then we’ll go ahead and start the process.
An hour later, Dean looked up as the door opened and Sam came out looking much more relieved, then he saw his brother and remembered the preset appointment and all the rushing around and bullying that Dean was good at. Sam walked over to the window presented his debit card and paid for the services for today. “We’ll see you in a week to finish this process. Oh no liquids, or food for at least an hour, and remember that’s a temporary crown, so please be careful.” Sam assured her he would then walked over to Dean.
“Jerk” He said with a scowl.
“Gotta admit you feel better.” Dean said with a grin.
Sam worked his jaw around, ”A bit stiff but it’ll do.”
“Then try and show a little gratitude, you know it won’t kill ya.” Dean groused.
“No but you setting these appointments behind my back like this will do you some harm one day.” Sam said as they exited. The sunshine felt good after the chill of the dentist’s office. They climbed back into the Impala and before Dean could even get the car turned over his cell phone went off. He answered and then looked at Sam with worry on his brow. “You sure about this Bobby, yes okay its made headlines, shit. Well considering that’s where we started the mess we owe it to them to take care of the situation. I know, okay, see you in an hour.” He clicked his phone shut and turned to Sam. “Bobby and Theo are about an hour out and coming in fast, they didn’t have much trouble with the poltergeist.” Dean took a deep breath, “You remember St. Mary’s in Illchester?”
“Please don’t say they’re having trouble again.” Sam said looking sickly pale.
“I ‘d like to say that they ‘re not having trouble again but it would be a lie.” Dean started then plunged on, “There were two bodies found in the boiler room, dismembered.”
“Okay serial killer on the loose heard about the legends surrounding that place and decided to put them to good use.” Sam reasoned.
“That would hold water except in that district where there are some buildings with gang markings, the convent is completely bare. They can’t get a crew to go in there to work, and the team they had before these guys came out screaming an hour after they walked into the building.”
“Okay, aside from breaking and entering just how the hell do we get access to the property?” Sam asked.
“Seems that the Priest, a Father Tom Roberts has given his blessing on us going in to see what we can do, it would seem that he has hunter blood in the family and he’s heard of us.” Dean replied.
Sam said on his side of the Impala as Dean eased into traffic and squirmed a bit, the settled for looking out the side window. “I still have nightmares about that place.” Sam said finally, “I see me killing Lilith all over again and opening the gate, sometimes the devil gets loose other times he comes out of the pit in true angelic form and offers me the world if I would just be his vessel. Sometimes, most times, I tell him to go fuck himself which does not earn me any brownie points, and a couple of times got me thrown into the pit. Other times, I give in to get it over with. There are just so many variations but all of them have one thing in common, they completely terrify me when they are over with.”
Dean was quiet for a long moment then finally responded, “I’m not about to tell you that the quickest way to get that monkey off your back is to get back on the horse that threw you. That would be callous and cruel considering what we came through in that chapel. I’ve got nightmares about it myself and not much different except in a few of them you turn on me and a couple of them you slit my throat. Sometimes you unleash hell hounds on me.” Dean said with a shiver.
“I would never…” Sam said to Dean grabbing his shoulder.
“I know that YOU wouldn’t, but HE would’ve and gladly at that.” Dean said keeping control of his emotions by extreme will. It was a ride that was pretty much silent the rest of the way home. In the trailer Dean sunk down on the couch bewildered while Sam went into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed. Then Dean’s cell phone went off again.
“Mr. Winchester, Father Tom Roberts of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Illchester, I was told this was the quickest way to get in touch with you.”
“Anyone I know?” Dean asked.
“Just a friend who used to hunt against your dad, look I’m not going to candy coat it here. We are a Parish that is under siege by forces of the economy that wants us to revive the property and something malevolent on the property that wants to do some serious harm. “
“Yeah I get that, but why ask us?”
“Heard you were connected to some action a few years back up here and I thought that you knowing the property and all you’d be in a better position to hunt this thing.”
“And for my trouble I get a pat on the back from the Archdiocese.” Dean said morosely.
“The Archdiocese is willing to pay a handsome figure to have this case taken care of.” Father Tom replied. “What may I ask was the nature of your work in the building the last time.”
“Father I would rather go over that in person if it’s all the same to you. There are just some things that don’t rest easy.”
“So you’re willing to come out?” The priest asked hopefully.
“I’ll see what I can do, my brother and I have some serious issues with St. Mary’s Convent.” Dean replied.
“Thank you Dean, and God bless you.”
“Thank you Father.” And he hung up his phone.
Dean wearily got up from his place on the sofa and went into the bedroom, he sat down on the bed next to Sam. Then he lay back and Sam’s arm immediately shot out to engulf Dean into a body hug.
“That was the priest of the church out there. He says the Archdiocese is willing to pay well, but he wants to know what happened the last time we were out there.”
“No.”
“Just No?” Dean asked.
“No.”
“What if we have Theo with us?” Dean ventured.
There was a very pregnant pause while Sam considered this. Finally he let out a weary sign. “You want to do this don’t you?”
“Not particularly, I’m just thinking we started the mess now something was either left undone or came undone after our last visit that released some creature in the place. I figure we have more of a debt to fix this problem than to just let it lie dormant.”
“I can do this on one condition.”
“That is”
“We NEVER go near that place again, no matter what happens, we are done with that shack.” Sam said tiredly.
“Ok bro, I think that’s more than fair.
Sam sighed volubly and then curled up against Dean, Dean responding by leaning into him. They lay like that for over an hour both of then dozing lightly. It was just going into the half of the hour when Dean heard the gravel crackle behind the house. He pulled free gave Sam a kiss and left him to doze. He got up and walked around back to see Theo and Bobby getting out of the Shelby. Both looked happy over something so Dean just waited to let it come in its time.
“We were good.” Theo said, walking around the car his runner’s physique filling out from all the work that they had been doing over the years. He was still just a couple of inches shorter than Dean but all that didn’t matter. Then he saw Dean’s face and knew something was up, he came around the car, got his hug and kiss, Bobby stepped forward and took his hand.
“You kiss me and I’ll slug ya.”
“Come on around, I just brought out some cold ones.”
“Hey Papa Bear, you all right?” Theo said reverting to his nickname for Dean.
“Not really, not, nope not all right at all.” Dean said as they walked around the trailer and up on the deck. Dean handed some beers around and as they go comfortable Bobby started the ball rolling.
“It’s about that Illchester thing isn’t it?” Theo said.
“Right in one.” Dean nodded taking a pull off his bottle. “We’ve had dealings there in the past, but Sam and I are still going through our own brand of PTSD over the issue where he opened the gate and let Lucifer out.”
Dean went into detail explaining the rest of what had happened and paused at the end to catch his breath and to steady his nerves some. Theo looked up from where he was seated on the deck.
“Ok so we go in and burn this bug right?”
“That’s all I hope it is.” Dean sighed, “With this place though you can never be too careful if you know what I’m talking about.”
“Sounds like our kind of place.” Theo noted.
Bobby shook his head at Theo, “No son, this is like nothing you’ve ever encountered. In the 70’s a priest was possessed by the demon Azazel. He proceeded to disembowel 13 nuns in one sitting using them to set off a pattern that eventually trapped Sam and Dean in there, some 30 years later.”
“Yeah, the short version is we got snookered.” Can a voice from the door way. They looked up to see Sam standing there. Dean looked up at him, and Sam back at Dean. “This isn’t a job I want to do but if we don’t, how many others are going to die? Also considering where this is occurring I can’t help but feel that whatever is trapped in there wants us to come and pay a call.”
“You get that notion too?” Bobby asked. “Well I guess that means we’re all going.”
“I would really rather it were just me and Dean but this time, it’s going to take a show of strength to kick this bastards ass. And the church is offering a sizable stipend for coming up and doing this.” Dean said.
“Like you need it after you sold those books last year.” Bobby said referring to a set of 16th century monastic writings of a heretical stroke. “I don’t think y’all have blown through that $19 million in a year’s time.”
“Last count Bobby, we haven’t blown through a percent of that. “ Sam nodded. “We just never were spoiled with large gifts so buying big just doesn’t fit us.”
“Yeah John always did play it close to the cuff with money.”Bobby said. Then he shook his head, “I’m just surprised that those books as a set went for that much, it’s not like their some kind of major spell works.”
Dean sighed and looked at Bobby, “Just glad to have them off our hands.”
“Well I’m going up to the house, this old fart’s tired and wants to take a snooze after that drive. And you boys just shut it about an old man and his naps.” Bobby said.
Dean held up hands defensively. “Not me man.”
Bobby got up lifted his bottle to them and headed for his house. They sat for a while longer on the deck and then Dean dropped his empty bottle in the recycle container that Sam had insisted on using. Then he turned to Sam, “Are you really sure you want to do this?”
“About as sure as you are.” Dean responded. He grabbed up Sam in a hug and then looked at Theo, “This isn’t just a me and Sam moment you know.”
“No, actually I didn’t, I know this is a real tense issue with you both, hell I’ve been around when you’ve turned down good hunts into Maryland. I figured then there must be some kind of reason for your not wanting to go back in there. So no I didn’t know about the moment, but it was cool either way cause you’ve been wound ever since Bobby and I pulled up.”
“Sorry baby bear, I’ll unwind.”
Theo laughed lightly, “You certainly will after what I’ve got planned.”