Part 3, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Bobby was never exactly happy to wake up at four in the morning. Especially when the reason was someone banging on his door like the world was ending.
Which it was, to be fair, but not so immediately as to demand that kind of noise.
"What the hell...?" He grabbed the nearest shotgun and went to check who it was.
Judas was standing on his doorstep, very tense, and still banging.
What the hell? "I thought you were going back to Ohio?" he asked, opening the door a crack.
"That was the plan," he answered, low and tight. "But I need to go to Indiana instead. And I need to get there by tomorrow night--or tonight, I suppose, it is after midnight. I'm sorry, I know, I shouldn't have come back, not now, not after the way I left, and you certainly don't owe me any favors or help, but--"
"Where in Indiana?" Bobby asked, as much to cut off that semi-panicked babbling as to get the actual answer. He opened the door the rest of the way--without putting down his shotgun.
"Muncie," Judas answered promptly, following him inside.
Bobby motioned for him to sit, and passed him a glass of holy water--not that he thought it was likely one of the freaking nephilim could get possessed, but better safe than sorry. "That's...what, a twelve-hour drive?"
Judas shook his head and drank the water with no signs of distress beyond what he'd walked in with. "I don't know, I didn't look it up. I came because...do any of the cars in your lot work? I can't get there fast enough without one, and I..." Between the mundane question and the outwardly-ordinary gesture, he seemed to have gotten a much better grip on whatever it was that was freaking him out, even if he still sounded anxious.
"What's in Indiana?" Bobby slid a silver knife off of the table as subtly as he could, trying to gauge when the right moment would be to make sure Judas wasn't a shifter.
"I saw that," Judas said. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and held out his arm. "I understand, just...get it over with."
"Sorry," he said. "Can't be too careful." He made a shallow cut on Judas' forearm. It didn't start smoking, or react in any other way.
"It's fine," he said, though he shivered a little and curled his hands tight around the glass again, as if that would keep him steady.
Bobby wiped off his blade and set it back on the table. "So, what's in Indiana?"
Judas hesitated. "I don't know details."
"You obviously know enough to send you there in a hurry," Bobby pointed out.
Judas bit his lip. "There's...something happening there, tomorrow night--or tonight, whichever--that puts someone very important to me in very real danger. If he ends up there. Which he might not. But if he does...I might be able to help him, if things go badly for him. Which they almost certainly will, if he shows up. And the chances of that are...they're good." As he spoke, he got more and more agitated again, gripping the glass tighter and tighter, until it actually broke in his hands. "Dammit! I'm sorry," he said, hastily. "I didn't mean to--" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He picked up as much of the glass as he could, then looked around, at a loss as to where to put it.
"Trash can's over in the corner," Bobby said, grabbing a roll of bandages. "Let me see your hands." This was probably something Judas could fix himself, of course, but Bobby doing it would keep both their hands busy. He didn't want to chance Judas accidentally breaking something else.
Wordlessly, Judas knelt next to him, letting Bobby examine the cuts he'd made.
"These ain't too deep," he said "So. Someone very important to you?"
"The person who took me in, when no one else would have me," he clarified, hissing a little when Bobby poured whiskey over his hands.
"Right," he said. "How'd you find out about this?"
"An old friend," Judas hedged. "I haven't heard from him for more than a century, but he wouldn't lie to me. Not about something like this."
"You seem awful sure of that." Bobby finished wrapping his hands, and got up again to put the supplies away.
"I am." Judas took a deep breath and studied the floor, trying to surreptitiously wipe up all his blood that had landed there.
Smart kid. "If you haven't seen this friend of yours for over a hundred years..."
Judas shook his head. "We were close, before. And even if we weren't, he owes me a favor."
"It cross your mind this might be a trap?" Bobby asked.
"Of course it did. I'm not that stupid. But I don't think it's one for me."
"You think it's for this...protector of yours."
He nodded. "Yes. I do."
Bobby eyed him. "Is he someone we need to know about?" Logic said he was Gabriel, of course, but when it came right down to it, they didn't actually know a hell of a lot about how Judas had spent the last two thousand years.
"If he wants to get involved, he will on his own. I'm sure he hasn't missed what's been going on." Judas gave him a plaintive look. "Please don't ask me for more detail. It's not fair to him."
He considered that for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. I won't ask." He still had Judas' phone number, and the coin Gabriel had given the boys. Worst case scenario, he could summon him again and get more information from him that way, especially since the number was being watched. Which he should probably warn Judas about, in case any other safety measure he had were similarly compromised. "You should know, I called that number you gave me, after you left."
He blinked. "You did?"
Bobby shrugged. "Thought I could leave a message, get you to come back where it's easier to hide you."
Judas shook his head. "I..."
He held up his hands. "I ain't gonna have that argument with you. Not right now. Reason I brought it up is someone answered."
"Someone--wait, really? Who?"
"Didn't get a name. Young woman, sounded like she was maybe the boys' age or a bit younger." Bobby watched Judas' face for any kind of reaction. "She seemed kinda pissed I called."
Judas flushed. "That was Jane. She's a bit...sorry, I'll explain things to her as soon as I have time. She's a good person."
"She said she was your cousin."
He nodded. "She is." He hesitated, then clarified. "We're the only two nephilim in the world, at least as far as I've been able to find out."
"Huh," Bobby said, filing that away for future reference. Didn't mean he'd stop researching nephilim, just in case, but if Judas was fairly sure there were only the two of them, he probably wouldn't have to worry about them as a substantial threat. "You're sure she won't cause problems?"
Judas nodded again. "I am. She'll keep her head down, unless she's actually attacked."
"Good," Bobby said. He let that hang for a minute, leaving it up to Judas what to say next.
"But...about why I actually came back," he finally said, hesitant. "Will you help me? I just need a car. And a map, probably. I'll bring them back after, I promise. Please, I can't...please?"
"I'll help," he said. For one thing, despite what Judas said in his note, Bobby still figured the balance between them was in Judas' favor. And he'd promised to come back, at which point maybe Bobby could talk some sense into him. "I've got a van out back that should work for you."
Judas slumped, visibly relieved. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much."
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Judas took a deep breath, his eyes glittering a little. "So do I."
Previous: Part 3, Chapter 1 Next: Part 3, Chapter 3
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Bobby was never exactly happy to wake up at four in the morning. Especially when the reason was someone banging on his door like the world was ending.
Which it was, to be fair, but not so immediately as to demand that kind of noise.
"What the hell...?" He grabbed the nearest shotgun and went to check who it was.
Judas was standing on his doorstep, very tense, and still banging.
What the hell? "I thought you were going back to Ohio?" he asked, opening the door a crack.
"That was the plan," he answered, low and tight. "But I need to go to Indiana instead. And I need to get there by tomorrow night--or tonight, I suppose, it is after midnight. I'm sorry, I know, I shouldn't have come back, not now, not after the way I left, and you certainly don't owe me any favors or help, but--"
"Where in Indiana?" Bobby asked, as much to cut off that semi-panicked babbling as to get the actual answer. He opened the door the rest of the way--without putting down his shotgun.
"Muncie," Judas answered promptly, following him inside.
Bobby motioned for him to sit, and passed him a glass of holy water--not that he thought it was likely one of the freaking nephilim could get possessed, but better safe than sorry. "That's...what, a twelve-hour drive?"
Judas shook his head and drank the water with no signs of distress beyond what he'd walked in with. "I don't know, I didn't look it up. I came because...do any of the cars in your lot work? I can't get there fast enough without one, and I..." Between the mundane question and the outwardly-ordinary gesture, he seemed to have gotten a much better grip on whatever it was that was freaking him out, even if he still sounded anxious.
"What's in Indiana?" Bobby slid a silver knife off of the table as subtly as he could, trying to gauge when the right moment would be to make sure Judas wasn't a shifter.
"I saw that," Judas said. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and held out his arm. "I understand, just...get it over with."
"Sorry," he said. "Can't be too careful." He made a shallow cut on Judas' forearm. It didn't start smoking, or react in any other way.
"It's fine," he said, though he shivered a little and curled his hands tight around the glass again, as if that would keep him steady.
Bobby wiped off his blade and set it back on the table. "So, what's in Indiana?"
Judas hesitated. "I don't know details."
"You obviously know enough to send you there in a hurry," Bobby pointed out.
Judas bit his lip. "There's...something happening there, tomorrow night--or tonight, whichever--that puts someone very important to me in very real danger. If he ends up there. Which he might not. But if he does...I might be able to help him, if things go badly for him. Which they almost certainly will, if he shows up. And the chances of that are...they're good." As he spoke, he got more and more agitated again, gripping the glass tighter and tighter, until it actually broke in his hands. "Dammit! I'm sorry," he said, hastily. "I didn't mean to--" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He picked up as much of the glass as he could, then looked around, at a loss as to where to put it.
"Trash can's over in the corner," Bobby said, grabbing a roll of bandages. "Let me see your hands." This was probably something Judas could fix himself, of course, but Bobby doing it would keep both their hands busy. He didn't want to chance Judas accidentally breaking something else.
Wordlessly, Judas knelt next to him, letting Bobby examine the cuts he'd made.
"These ain't too deep," he said "So. Someone very important to you?"
"The person who took me in, when no one else would have me," he clarified, hissing a little when Bobby poured whiskey over his hands.
"Right," he said. "How'd you find out about this?"
"An old friend," Judas hedged. "I haven't heard from him for more than a century, but he wouldn't lie to me. Not about something like this."
"You seem awful sure of that." Bobby finished wrapping his hands, and got up again to put the supplies away.
"I am." Judas took a deep breath and studied the floor, trying to surreptitiously wipe up all his blood that had landed there.
Smart kid. "If you haven't seen this friend of yours for over a hundred years..."
Judas shook his head. "We were close, before. And even if we weren't, he owes me a favor."
"It cross your mind this might be a trap?" Bobby asked.
"Of course it did. I'm not that stupid. But I don't think it's one for me."
"You think it's for this...protector of yours."
He nodded. "Yes. I do."
Bobby eyed him. "Is he someone we need to know about?" Logic said he was Gabriel, of course, but when it came right down to it, they didn't actually know a hell of a lot about how Judas had spent the last two thousand years.
"If he wants to get involved, he will on his own. I'm sure he hasn't missed what's been going on." Judas gave him a plaintive look. "Please don't ask me for more detail. It's not fair to him."
He considered that for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. I won't ask." He still had Judas' phone number, and the coin Gabriel had given the boys. Worst case scenario, he could summon him again and get more information from him that way, especially since the number was being watched. Which he should probably warn Judas about, in case any other safety measure he had were similarly compromised. "You should know, I called that number you gave me, after you left."
He blinked. "You did?"
Bobby shrugged. "Thought I could leave a message, get you to come back where it's easier to hide you."
Judas shook his head. "I..."
He held up his hands. "I ain't gonna have that argument with you. Not right now. Reason I brought it up is someone answered."
"Someone--wait, really? Who?"
"Didn't get a name. Young woman, sounded like she was maybe the boys' age or a bit younger." Bobby watched Judas' face for any kind of reaction. "She seemed kinda pissed I called."
Judas flushed. "That was Jane. She's a bit...sorry, I'll explain things to her as soon as I have time. She's a good person."
"She said she was your cousin."
He nodded. "She is." He hesitated, then clarified. "We're the only two nephilim in the world, at least as far as I've been able to find out."
"Huh," Bobby said, filing that away for future reference. Didn't mean he'd stop researching nephilim, just in case, but if Judas was fairly sure there were only the two of them, he probably wouldn't have to worry about them as a substantial threat. "You're sure she won't cause problems?"
Judas nodded again. "I am. She'll keep her head down, unless she's actually attacked."
"Good," Bobby said. He let that hang for a minute, leaving it up to Judas what to say next.
"But...about why I actually came back," he finally said, hesitant. "Will you help me? I just need a car. And a map, probably. I'll bring them back after, I promise. Please, I can't...please?"
"I'll help," he said. For one thing, despite what Judas said in his note, Bobby still figured the balance between them was in Judas' favor. And he'd promised to come back, at which point maybe Bobby could talk some sense into him. "I've got a van out back that should work for you."
Judas slumped, visibly relieved. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much."
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Judas took a deep breath, his eyes glittering a little. "So do I."
Previous: Part 3, Chapter 1 Next: Part 3, Chapter 3