Unexpected Destinies Chapter 104
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,368
Summary: It wasn't his fault that what had started out as simply a ride to enjoy the good weather had turned into a global trip to find a lost religious relic.
PAST
The first thing that struck Dean upon landing was that it was noticeably colder even though it was daytime instead of the evening that it had been back home. Colder and wetter, wasn't Africa supposed to be hot and dry?
"Dude, what's with the weather?" Dean demanded, hugging his t-shirt tighter around himself. "It's June for Heaven's sake!"
"Yes, precisely."
"What?"
"In this part of the world June is well into winter instead of the summer that it is in the northern hemisphere," Raphael explained.
"Huh, yeah, I think I remember something about that now. That's just wrong."
"A very human perspective."
"Bite me, Raph."
"I do not believe Castiel would approve."
Dean sputtered for a moment in disbelief before he caught the humor in the archangel's eyes and realized that Raphael was baiting him and he stuck his tongue out at- at the angel that would essentially be his brother-in-law if he went through with this bonding thing. The realization caught him off-guard for a moment before the full implications of it hit him. The bonding would mean that every single angel out there would become his brother or sister-in-law. Michael, Xarael, Raphael, Gabriel, hell it would mean that he'd killed a brother-in-law in the form of Zachariah and- Fuck, that would mean that he'd slept with what would then be his sister-in-law; Anna. Not to mention that he'd then suddenly be related to both Simiel and Lucifer. Each and every last member of Castiel's crazy and extended family would be his right down to his lover's Fat-
"Right, what is this key exactly and where is it being kept?" Dean questioned, desperately shoving that thought out of his mind, hopefully forever and ever and ever and ever and ever.
"This gateway's key is a metal and ivory staff heavily carved with all manner of pagan symbolism and imagery."
"Pagan?"
"The missionaries who secured the gateway thought it would be a good way to disguise the key," Raphael explained. "They rightly believed that any demons who would seek it out would be looking for something dedicated to my Father."
"Smart. Did anyone come close to attaining it?"
"Not the true key, though Beelzebub did manage to track down one of the decoy keys the missionaries made and he attempted to open the gateway with that."
"Let me guess, no dice."
Raphael tilted his head and frowned in confusion. "Indeed, there were no dice involved. Beelzebub instead found himself swiftly returned to Perdition as the missionaries had laid down a number of traps should any of the decoys ever be used."
Dean had to swallow back the laugh that wanted to escape. Things were going too well so far for him to want to risk upsetting the balance and he knew that this archangel was still quite sensitive to what Raphael perceived as derision or scorn. Besides there was something endearingly Castiel-ish about it all that made him more inclined to lay off on the teasing a bit. Lately he'd noticed more and more little things about Raphael that made it clear that he really was his angel's brother. Castiel's brother, just like Castiel's Fath-
"Okay, a carved metal and ivory staff. I don't supposed you've got a picture of it or anything?" Dean inquired.
"No, depictions of it in religious texts were strongly discouraged in order to prevent the unworthy from being able to find and use it."
"Right, makes sense even if it makes things harder."
"I believe that it is now known as the Staff of Thunder after the pagan god to whom its creation was attributed."
"Staff of Thunder? Honestly, who comes up with this shit?"
He could come up with a better name for the damned thing and Dean knew he wasn't exactly the most creative of people. Shaking his head in exasperation, he turned his attention more fully to their surroundings. It said a lot for how far he'd come with Raphael that it hadn't been his first reaction or priority upon landing. His heart sank as he discovered that they were standing outside of a museum, a large and well maintained museum. There went his original idea of just breaking in and stealing the key before anyone even realized that he was there.
"I don't suppose that you can get me inside at all?" Dean asked.
"No, the sigils cover the entire building."
"Of course they do. Shit."
"Can you not simply enter as those people are doing?" Raphael questioned, pointing to a couple walking inside.
"Yeah, but then they'll have a trace of me and I'll be stuck to the official tourist route. Not to mention the fact that if the museum is open that the key will most likely be on display and thus difficult to get at. Hmm, let me think."
"I am sorry that I am unable to help you more."
"S'okay. I wonder..."
"Yes?"
"Are South Africans Christian?"
"A majority of them worship my Father, yes."
"And are they Catholic?"
"That I cannot determine as easily."
"No?"
"It is a meaningless human split of my Father's original teachings."
Dean snorted. "Ain't that the truth. I suppose I could-" He held up a hand when the archangel opened his mouth as he suddenly dug out his cell phone and hit a speed dial. "Hey, Father Mancini, it's Dean Winchester here," he greeted in Italian.
"Dean! How are you?" Father Mancini replied pleasantly.
"I'm good but I need a favor."
"Anything."
The immediate response had Dean pulling a face, because seriously? For all the man knew, he was going to ask for something outrageous or totally against everything the Catholic Church stood for. Absolute power corrupting absolutely and all of that and the pope had pretty much written him a blank check as far as he was concerned. They really needed to be more careful about those things, though he supposed that he hadn't helped matters any as he'd yet to take his shiny new credit card for a spin at an adult shop like he really should have. It was just that he could already picture Castiel's disapproving and disappointed look if he were actually to try it and he was whipped enough to know what exactly was stopping him from actually doing it as he would have before.
It was a fantasy to ponder more later, but for now Dean just gave the priest the pertinent details of where he was and that he needed the Staff of Thunder (he couldn't believe that he was saying that!) from the museum.
"I will look into who we have in the area that might be able to help you and let you know," Father Mancini promised.
"Thanks, that'll be a big help," Dean replied before hanging up and turning to the archangel waiting beside him. "Let's give the official route a try before we move onto anything more drastic."
"You believe that they will simply hand the key to you?" Raphael questioned.
"The Catholic Church is pretty powerful and they seem to have people everywhere, so it's definitely worth a shot. I'd go in there and just flash the ID they gave me, but if there happens to be no one there who's connected to them then they'll have my name and description which isn't a good idea even if I doubt they'd manage to track it back to America."
"Very well."
"Good, now let's see if they've got anything worth eating around here, I'm starved."
"You are always hungry."
"Hey! Am not."
"Yes, you are."
"Am n- Excuse me, human here."
"I could not forget."
"Hey!"
/
"Dean Winchester to see Miss Kruger, please," Dean said, holding out his Vatican ID.
He would normally have added on a flirtatious smile except that the receptionist was male. Dean had considered doing it anyway for a moment but the guy really was stern looking and he suddenly realized that he had no idea how South Africans regarded gays. Hadn't he once heard that homosexuality was illegal in certain parts of the continent? He couldn't quite understand how something natural that people had absolutely no control over could be made be made illegal- which was probably why he even remembered having heard of it in the first place- but then, prejudice never did make sense to anyone but the bigots who spouted it.
The receptionist took his ID and looked at it before raising an eyebrow at him and, yeah, Dean could see why the guy was so damn skeptical, he would be too if things were the other way around. And wouldn't it be ironic that the first time he tried to show a legit formal identification he'd be doubted? That'd be just his kind of luck too. The way he was dressed also didn't help he was sure, but if he'd known that he'd be pulling the Vatican card today, he'd have gotten changed before going out. It wasn't his fault that what had started out as simply a ride to enjoy the good weather had turned into a global trip to find a lost religious relic. Even he had trouble believing his life sometimes. At least these days he had the crazy good along with the crazy bad, that was more than he'd ever been able to claim before.
"Miss Kruger is expecting you and shall be down shortly," the receptionist finally stated, his accent clearly indicating that English wasn't his first language. "Please take a seat."
"Thanks," Dean replied, taking back his ID and turning to the uncomfortable looking chairs behind him.
Why was it that these types of places always had such horrible seats? As a child, Dean had been convinced that there was some kind of supernatural conspiracy behind it all and he'd tried to convince his dad of it so that his father would hunt down those responsible for it and put them down. He smiled at the memory as he folded his tall frame into the small chair. He might not have his brother's or even his father's height, but he was still above average in his own right and these things seemed to have been made for kids. So he might have been a little bloodthirsty as a child but who that knew the truth could blame him? The problem had always been those that hadn't known the truth. It had taken him a little while to learn that there were certain things that shouldn't be said to teachers or any adult other than his father and those Dad said it was okay to talk about the supernatural with. Dad had avoided a repeat of that whole scenario by not telling Sammy about what was really out there until his brother was a lot older.
"Mr. Winchester? I'm Miss Kruger."
Dean looked up at the sound of his name and was surprised to find that the woman was dark skinned despite her name. Apparently some people had been able to get past their prejudices at least.
"Please call me Dean..." Dean replied, trailing off in the hope of getting her name.
"It's Miss Kruger and you're Mr. Winchester," she returned coldly.
"Whoa, okay, sorry. Just trying to be friendly, honest."
His raised hands earned him a suspicious, narrow eyed stare. All of Dean's hopes of this going smoothly were rapidly evaporating. When Father Mancini had called him back and given him a name, saying that she worked in the museum and had the right level of access to help him out, he'd dared to hope that he could pull this off without having to resort to illegal and risky activities. So much for that.
"Follow me," Kruger snapped, spinning on her heel and striding off.
Startled, Dean rushed off after her, not wanting to be left behind. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something to offend you, Miss Kruger, it really wasn't my intention."
"You didn't."
"Didn't what?"
"Say something."
"Then what-"
"It's not what you said," Kruger stated, stopping at an elevator and stabbing the button. "It's what you did or rather what the Vatican told me you're planning to do."
With a sigh Dean followed her into the elevator and waited until the doors had closed before speaking. "I'm sorry if my taking the Staff of Thunder will be a problem, but it's really important that I have it."
In a move so fast that it surprised Dean, Kruger hit the emergency stop button and sprayed him with something. He blinked and realized it was water, Holy water most likely, just as she spat a "Christo!" at him.
"I'm not a demon," Dean said, more amused than anything else. Really, when was the last time someone had assumed that he was one of those black eyed sons of a bitches?
"Just checking."
"Did you think the Vatican would vouch for someone who wasn't protected?"
Dean meant the fact that he was almost constantly surrounded by archangels, but pulled down the collar of his shirt instead so that she could see his tattoo.
"Why do you want the key?"
"What do you know about that?" Dean demanded, shifting into a more defensive stance as he realized that she wasn't just some Vatican source who happened to work here.
"What do you?"
"Okay, am I getting warm with the words, Devil's Peak?" Her shocked expression told Dean all he needed to know. "Look, I don't know what you know about that, Miss Kruger, but that key isn't safe here anymore. It's time to move it somewhere else and, trust me, I can ensure that happens far better than you can."
"It's been safe here so far."
"Because it was secret and things were different, but the situation has changed now, if you know about demons then surely you're aware of that."
"And what makes you think that you can protect it better than us?"
"Because of the same thing that made the pope decide that I should have this," Dean replied, pulling his ID again. "How often do they give these out?" Kruger looked at the ID and Dean could see the wheels spinning in her head as she tried to decide what to do. "Come on," he pressed. "If my side can figure out that the key is here, how long do you think it'll be before others do the same? And then what, you don't even have any devil's traps up around here."
"Devil's traps? What are those?"
It took Dean a moment or two to recall that he'd only known about them for a few short years despite being a hunter for nearly his entire life. If his father hadn't stumbled across them even with all of his research into demons, then it really wasn't all that surprising that Kruger wouldn't have heard of them. He pulled out a small notebook he kept in his pocket and grabbed the pen in her suit pocket and drew one before tearing the page out and handing it to her.
"Here, this is a devil's trap. Draw that, exactly like this, and no demon will be able to leave it once he steps into it unless it's broken."
"And this will work better than the sigils we have up?"
"Sigils?" Dean repeated before he realized what she was on about. "Honey, those are anti-angel wards, not anti-demon."
"Anti-angel? Now you're just lying to me, trying to trick me."
With another sigh, Dean waved his Vatican ID again. "You just splashed me with Holy water, if you were sure those sigils of yours worked on demons you wouldn't have had to do that. A demon got in recently, didn't it?"
"Yes," Kruger confirmed looking down.
"Perhaps more than one?"
"It has gotten so bad that I've had to take the key off display, replacing it with a backup that was created for showcasing whenever the key required routine cleaning and preservation."
"Then let me take it away from here and get it somewhere safe. The last thing either of us want is for that gate to be opened."
Kruger stared at him for a long moment and Dean could now see the exhaustion in her eyes. He could only imagine how hard she'd been working lately to keep any demon from getting their hands on the key, especially since she was working blind without a devil's trap to help her. The fact that the demons were also aware of the key made him uneasy and he couldn't help but wonder if they were working alone or if this was something that Lucifer was up to. The devil had been far too quiet for his liking as he'd much rather know what Lucifer was up to than to be left floundering blindly in the dark.
Either it was something that she saw in his eyes or it was the Vatican ID, Dean wasn't sure which, but Kruger finally nodded and hit the emergency button again and the elevator shuddered to life once more. Afraid of saying something wrong that would make her change her mind, he remained silent and followed her to what appeared to be an office. Only now he was paying far more attention to his surroundings, thinking of it like a hunt now where anything and everything could happen. Inside the office, Kruger hesitated once more before pulling out the keys to a hidden safe and withdrawing a long, thin bundle wrapped in soft fabric.
"Here, this is it, the key," Kruger said reverently, unwrapping one end of the staff.
Dean gazed at it in wonder, realizing the end was made of gold. Only an archangel would call gold just plain metal without any further elaboration. The thought was nearly enough to make him smile, but he refrained as he reached out to touch it. All thoughts of her handing him a fake vanished the moment that he touched the key. He felt the same faint buzz that he'd always gotten from the Colt from it. It surprised him as he'd never really thought much of the sensation, assuming that it was in his head more than anything else as neither Sam nor Bobby could feel it, but now he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't just yet another thing about him that was off. Something that he shouldn't have been able to detect.
"Thank you," Dean said, taking the staff.
"You are right, things have changed and I no longer know what to make of things," Kruger stated. "A new time is upon us and it is time for a new type of Keeper for the key. My people have always spoken that this day would come, but I didn't want to believe that it would be now."
Great, another prophecy, that was just what he needed. "The rules are no longer what they used to be, so trust nothing that you've learned. As far as I know, the devil's trap will still hold a demon but that might change soon too."
"I will be careful. Take care of the key, you are now it's Keeper."
No, Heaven would be its new Keeper, but that was more than she needed to know, especially if the demons were still going to try and get the fake on display here. "I will."
With that, Dean beat a hasty retreat after making sure that the staff was securely wrapped up again to shield it from prying eyes. The hair at the back of his neck was starting to stand on end and he felt like danger was lurking right around the corner. He'd been a hunter for long enough to know that this wasn't simply paranoia induced fear from Kruger's account of demons but rather something far deeper. It was his instincts kicking into full gear and he knew better than to ignore them as they'd kept him alive this long.
He had to get back to Raphael and quickly.
The triumph that Dean saw in Raphael's eyes as he stepped out the door of the museum cheered him on so the force that suddenly slammed into his side with all the force of a semi caught him completely off-guard and he screamed in agony as he was sent flying.
A.N.: I need a little help. Can anyone recommend a good beta? I've been trying to find one for my Big Bang fic but no one who listed themselves as betas is replying or available and I'm getting a bit desperate! So any recommendations would be really welcome, thanks!
Chapter 105
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,368
Summary: It wasn't his fault that what had started out as simply a ride to enjoy the good weather had turned into a global trip to find a lost religious relic.
PAST
The first thing that struck Dean upon landing was that it was noticeably colder even though it was daytime instead of the evening that it had been back home. Colder and wetter, wasn't Africa supposed to be hot and dry?
"Dude, what's with the weather?" Dean demanded, hugging his t-shirt tighter around himself. "It's June for Heaven's sake!"
"Yes, precisely."
"What?"
"In this part of the world June is well into winter instead of the summer that it is in the northern hemisphere," Raphael explained.
"Huh, yeah, I think I remember something about that now. That's just wrong."
"A very human perspective."
"Bite me, Raph."
"I do not believe Castiel would approve."
Dean sputtered for a moment in disbelief before he caught the humor in the archangel's eyes and realized that Raphael was baiting him and he stuck his tongue out at- at the angel that would essentially be his brother-in-law if he went through with this bonding thing. The realization caught him off-guard for a moment before the full implications of it hit him. The bonding would mean that every single angel out there would become his brother or sister-in-law. Michael, Xarael, Raphael, Gabriel, hell it would mean that he'd killed a brother-in-law in the form of Zachariah and- Fuck, that would mean that he'd slept with what would then be his sister-in-law; Anna. Not to mention that he'd then suddenly be related to both Simiel and Lucifer. Each and every last member of Castiel's crazy and extended family would be his right down to his lover's Fat-
"Right, what is this key exactly and where is it being kept?" Dean questioned, desperately shoving that thought out of his mind, hopefully forever and ever and ever and ever and ever.
"This gateway's key is a metal and ivory staff heavily carved with all manner of pagan symbolism and imagery."
"Pagan?"
"The missionaries who secured the gateway thought it would be a good way to disguise the key," Raphael explained. "They rightly believed that any demons who would seek it out would be looking for something dedicated to my Father."
"Smart. Did anyone come close to attaining it?"
"Not the true key, though Beelzebub did manage to track down one of the decoy keys the missionaries made and he attempted to open the gateway with that."
"Let me guess, no dice."
Raphael tilted his head and frowned in confusion. "Indeed, there were no dice involved. Beelzebub instead found himself swiftly returned to Perdition as the missionaries had laid down a number of traps should any of the decoys ever be used."
Dean had to swallow back the laugh that wanted to escape. Things were going too well so far for him to want to risk upsetting the balance and he knew that this archangel was still quite sensitive to what Raphael perceived as derision or scorn. Besides there was something endearingly Castiel-ish about it all that made him more inclined to lay off on the teasing a bit. Lately he'd noticed more and more little things about Raphael that made it clear that he really was his angel's brother. Castiel's brother, just like Castiel's Fath-
"Okay, a carved metal and ivory staff. I don't supposed you've got a picture of it or anything?" Dean inquired.
"No, depictions of it in religious texts were strongly discouraged in order to prevent the unworthy from being able to find and use it."
"Right, makes sense even if it makes things harder."
"I believe that it is now known as the Staff of Thunder after the pagan god to whom its creation was attributed."
"Staff of Thunder? Honestly, who comes up with this shit?"
He could come up with a better name for the damned thing and Dean knew he wasn't exactly the most creative of people. Shaking his head in exasperation, he turned his attention more fully to their surroundings. It said a lot for how far he'd come with Raphael that it hadn't been his first reaction or priority upon landing. His heart sank as he discovered that they were standing outside of a museum, a large and well maintained museum. There went his original idea of just breaking in and stealing the key before anyone even realized that he was there.
"I don't suppose that you can get me inside at all?" Dean asked.
"No, the sigils cover the entire building."
"Of course they do. Shit."
"Can you not simply enter as those people are doing?" Raphael questioned, pointing to a couple walking inside.
"Yeah, but then they'll have a trace of me and I'll be stuck to the official tourist route. Not to mention the fact that if the museum is open that the key will most likely be on display and thus difficult to get at. Hmm, let me think."
"I am sorry that I am unable to help you more."
"S'okay. I wonder..."
"Yes?"
"Are South Africans Christian?"
"A majority of them worship my Father, yes."
"And are they Catholic?"
"That I cannot determine as easily."
"No?"
"It is a meaningless human split of my Father's original teachings."
Dean snorted. "Ain't that the truth. I suppose I could-" He held up a hand when the archangel opened his mouth as he suddenly dug out his cell phone and hit a speed dial. "Hey, Father Mancini, it's Dean Winchester here," he greeted in Italian.
"Dean! How are you?" Father Mancini replied pleasantly.
"I'm good but I need a favor."
"Anything."
The immediate response had Dean pulling a face, because seriously? For all the man knew, he was going to ask for something outrageous or totally against everything the Catholic Church stood for. Absolute power corrupting absolutely and all of that and the pope had pretty much written him a blank check as far as he was concerned. They really needed to be more careful about those things, though he supposed that he hadn't helped matters any as he'd yet to take his shiny new credit card for a spin at an adult shop like he really should have. It was just that he could already picture Castiel's disapproving and disappointed look if he were actually to try it and he was whipped enough to know what exactly was stopping him from actually doing it as he would have before.
It was a fantasy to ponder more later, but for now Dean just gave the priest the pertinent details of where he was and that he needed the Staff of Thunder (he couldn't believe that he was saying that!) from the museum.
"I will look into who we have in the area that might be able to help you and let you know," Father Mancini promised.
"Thanks, that'll be a big help," Dean replied before hanging up and turning to the archangel waiting beside him. "Let's give the official route a try before we move onto anything more drastic."
"You believe that they will simply hand the key to you?" Raphael questioned.
"The Catholic Church is pretty powerful and they seem to have people everywhere, so it's definitely worth a shot. I'd go in there and just flash the ID they gave me, but if there happens to be no one there who's connected to them then they'll have my name and description which isn't a good idea even if I doubt they'd manage to track it back to America."
"Very well."
"Good, now let's see if they've got anything worth eating around here, I'm starved."
"You are always hungry."
"Hey! Am not."
"Yes, you are."
"Am n- Excuse me, human here."
"I could not forget."
"Hey!"
/
"Dean Winchester to see Miss Kruger, please," Dean said, holding out his Vatican ID.
He would normally have added on a flirtatious smile except that the receptionist was male. Dean had considered doing it anyway for a moment but the guy really was stern looking and he suddenly realized that he had no idea how South Africans regarded gays. Hadn't he once heard that homosexuality was illegal in certain parts of the continent? He couldn't quite understand how something natural that people had absolutely no control over could be made be made illegal- which was probably why he even remembered having heard of it in the first place- but then, prejudice never did make sense to anyone but the bigots who spouted it.
The receptionist took his ID and looked at it before raising an eyebrow at him and, yeah, Dean could see why the guy was so damn skeptical, he would be too if things were the other way around. And wouldn't it be ironic that the first time he tried to show a legit formal identification he'd be doubted? That'd be just his kind of luck too. The way he was dressed also didn't help he was sure, but if he'd known that he'd be pulling the Vatican card today, he'd have gotten changed before going out. It wasn't his fault that what had started out as simply a ride to enjoy the good weather had turned into a global trip to find a lost religious relic. Even he had trouble believing his life sometimes. At least these days he had the crazy good along with the crazy bad, that was more than he'd ever been able to claim before.
"Miss Kruger is expecting you and shall be down shortly," the receptionist finally stated, his accent clearly indicating that English wasn't his first language. "Please take a seat."
"Thanks," Dean replied, taking back his ID and turning to the uncomfortable looking chairs behind him.
Why was it that these types of places always had such horrible seats? As a child, Dean had been convinced that there was some kind of supernatural conspiracy behind it all and he'd tried to convince his dad of it so that his father would hunt down those responsible for it and put them down. He smiled at the memory as he folded his tall frame into the small chair. He might not have his brother's or even his father's height, but he was still above average in his own right and these things seemed to have been made for kids. So he might have been a little bloodthirsty as a child but who that knew the truth could blame him? The problem had always been those that hadn't known the truth. It had taken him a little while to learn that there were certain things that shouldn't be said to teachers or any adult other than his father and those Dad said it was okay to talk about the supernatural with. Dad had avoided a repeat of that whole scenario by not telling Sammy about what was really out there until his brother was a lot older.
"Mr. Winchester? I'm Miss Kruger."
Dean looked up at the sound of his name and was surprised to find that the woman was dark skinned despite her name. Apparently some people had been able to get past their prejudices at least.
"Please call me Dean..." Dean replied, trailing off in the hope of getting her name.
"It's Miss Kruger and you're Mr. Winchester," she returned coldly.
"Whoa, okay, sorry. Just trying to be friendly, honest."
His raised hands earned him a suspicious, narrow eyed stare. All of Dean's hopes of this going smoothly were rapidly evaporating. When Father Mancini had called him back and given him a name, saying that she worked in the museum and had the right level of access to help him out, he'd dared to hope that he could pull this off without having to resort to illegal and risky activities. So much for that.
"Follow me," Kruger snapped, spinning on her heel and striding off.
Startled, Dean rushed off after her, not wanting to be left behind. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something to offend you, Miss Kruger, it really wasn't my intention."
"You didn't."
"Didn't what?"
"Say something."
"Then what-"
"It's not what you said," Kruger stated, stopping at an elevator and stabbing the button. "It's what you did or rather what the Vatican told me you're planning to do."
With a sigh Dean followed her into the elevator and waited until the doors had closed before speaking. "I'm sorry if my taking the Staff of Thunder will be a problem, but it's really important that I have it."
In a move so fast that it surprised Dean, Kruger hit the emergency stop button and sprayed him with something. He blinked and realized it was water, Holy water most likely, just as she spat a "Christo!" at him.
"I'm not a demon," Dean said, more amused than anything else. Really, when was the last time someone had assumed that he was one of those black eyed sons of a bitches?
"Just checking."
"Did you think the Vatican would vouch for someone who wasn't protected?"
Dean meant the fact that he was almost constantly surrounded by archangels, but pulled down the collar of his shirt instead so that she could see his tattoo.
"Why do you want the key?"
"What do you know about that?" Dean demanded, shifting into a more defensive stance as he realized that she wasn't just some Vatican source who happened to work here.
"What do you?"
"Okay, am I getting warm with the words, Devil's Peak?" Her shocked expression told Dean all he needed to know. "Look, I don't know what you know about that, Miss Kruger, but that key isn't safe here anymore. It's time to move it somewhere else and, trust me, I can ensure that happens far better than you can."
"It's been safe here so far."
"Because it was secret and things were different, but the situation has changed now, if you know about demons then surely you're aware of that."
"And what makes you think that you can protect it better than us?"
"Because of the same thing that made the pope decide that I should have this," Dean replied, pulling his ID again. "How often do they give these out?" Kruger looked at the ID and Dean could see the wheels spinning in her head as she tried to decide what to do. "Come on," he pressed. "If my side can figure out that the key is here, how long do you think it'll be before others do the same? And then what, you don't even have any devil's traps up around here."
"Devil's traps? What are those?"
It took Dean a moment or two to recall that he'd only known about them for a few short years despite being a hunter for nearly his entire life. If his father hadn't stumbled across them even with all of his research into demons, then it really wasn't all that surprising that Kruger wouldn't have heard of them. He pulled out a small notebook he kept in his pocket and grabbed the pen in her suit pocket and drew one before tearing the page out and handing it to her.
"Here, this is a devil's trap. Draw that, exactly like this, and no demon will be able to leave it once he steps into it unless it's broken."
"And this will work better than the sigils we have up?"
"Sigils?" Dean repeated before he realized what she was on about. "Honey, those are anti-angel wards, not anti-demon."
"Anti-angel? Now you're just lying to me, trying to trick me."
With another sigh, Dean waved his Vatican ID again. "You just splashed me with Holy water, if you were sure those sigils of yours worked on demons you wouldn't have had to do that. A demon got in recently, didn't it?"
"Yes," Kruger confirmed looking down.
"Perhaps more than one?"
"It has gotten so bad that I've had to take the key off display, replacing it with a backup that was created for showcasing whenever the key required routine cleaning and preservation."
"Then let me take it away from here and get it somewhere safe. The last thing either of us want is for that gate to be opened."
Kruger stared at him for a long moment and Dean could now see the exhaustion in her eyes. He could only imagine how hard she'd been working lately to keep any demon from getting their hands on the key, especially since she was working blind without a devil's trap to help her. The fact that the demons were also aware of the key made him uneasy and he couldn't help but wonder if they were working alone or if this was something that Lucifer was up to. The devil had been far too quiet for his liking as he'd much rather know what Lucifer was up to than to be left floundering blindly in the dark.
Either it was something that she saw in his eyes or it was the Vatican ID, Dean wasn't sure which, but Kruger finally nodded and hit the emergency button again and the elevator shuddered to life once more. Afraid of saying something wrong that would make her change her mind, he remained silent and followed her to what appeared to be an office. Only now he was paying far more attention to his surroundings, thinking of it like a hunt now where anything and everything could happen. Inside the office, Kruger hesitated once more before pulling out the keys to a hidden safe and withdrawing a long, thin bundle wrapped in soft fabric.
"Here, this is it, the key," Kruger said reverently, unwrapping one end of the staff.
Dean gazed at it in wonder, realizing the end was made of gold. Only an archangel would call gold just plain metal without any further elaboration. The thought was nearly enough to make him smile, but he refrained as he reached out to touch it. All thoughts of her handing him a fake vanished the moment that he touched the key. He felt the same faint buzz that he'd always gotten from the Colt from it. It surprised him as he'd never really thought much of the sensation, assuming that it was in his head more than anything else as neither Sam nor Bobby could feel it, but now he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't just yet another thing about him that was off. Something that he shouldn't have been able to detect.
"Thank you," Dean said, taking the staff.
"You are right, things have changed and I no longer know what to make of things," Kruger stated. "A new time is upon us and it is time for a new type of Keeper for the key. My people have always spoken that this day would come, but I didn't want to believe that it would be now."
Great, another prophecy, that was just what he needed. "The rules are no longer what they used to be, so trust nothing that you've learned. As far as I know, the devil's trap will still hold a demon but that might change soon too."
"I will be careful. Take care of the key, you are now it's Keeper."
No, Heaven would be its new Keeper, but that was more than she needed to know, especially if the demons were still going to try and get the fake on display here. "I will."
With that, Dean beat a hasty retreat after making sure that the staff was securely wrapped up again to shield it from prying eyes. The hair at the back of his neck was starting to stand on end and he felt like danger was lurking right around the corner. He'd been a hunter for long enough to know that this wasn't simply paranoia induced fear from Kruger's account of demons but rather something far deeper. It was his instincts kicking into full gear and he knew better than to ignore them as they'd kept him alive this long.
He had to get back to Raphael and quickly.
The triumph that Dean saw in Raphael's eyes as he stepped out the door of the museum cheered him on so the force that suddenly slammed into his side with all the force of a semi caught him completely off-guard and he screamed in agony as he was sent flying.
A.N.: I need a little help. Can anyone recommend a good beta? I've been trying to find one for my Big Bang fic but no one who listed themselves as betas is replying or available and I'm getting a bit desperate! So any recommendations would be really welcome, thanks!
Chapter 105