there are prizes all around you if you're wise enough to see

[praevaricatio]

Comments

[cholesterol]

( Not perfect's a start. )

What does your judgment say now? Throw what happened before away. You missed it, but he wanted you to. What're instincts now. Best interests, or not, we're doing his dirty work.

( But, for the greater good. Always for the damn greater good. )

Looks a little like a kicked puppy around you, you want to milk that for a little longer, I won't judge. But, coming from a guy that can hold a grudge. Is it worth it. He's here. Risking it.

[braveandstupid]

[She's not sure he's here, risking it for her, exactly. But the point about grudges rings true in the sense that she's never really seen the point of having them. Life is too short and in some ways, she's not angry. She's hurt. There's a difference.]

I'm not still angry, I just ... it's hard for everything that was before to feel real. I can't just jump back to the same level of friendship because I'm still working on trusting him the same way.

[A pause.]

But I can stop being all ... stoic about it.

[Stoic coldness has never been her strong suit anyway. It doesn't really come naturally, but sometimes it's a reflex to at least try and shield some of the softer parts of herself.]

[cholesterol]

Does he expect you to? Your life blew up, you went to the four corners. Maybe start with - not being a bitch. See where it takes you.

( You know, exactly what you said. Sam, make a spot check. )

[braveandstupid]

[Sam is keeping his eyes ahead and giving them their privacy (15).

Elena nods, making a note to try again to talk to Ezra about it, but later, after they're done dealing with whatever's in this cave.]

How far do you think this tunnel is going to go?

[cholesterol]

( The passage widens again, gradually, but it doesn't end in a chamber. Sam's flashlight lands on a mummified body upright, up ahead, two torches sit unlit on either side.

There are a few openings on either side, as if the caves move further into the Earth, but why would they need to? )

[braveandstupid]

[Sam stops, raising an eyebrow as he looks over the scenario, looking for any sign of traps, but his stopping causes Dean and Elena to split to add their own eyes to the mix. Elena frowns as she looks over the room, continuing to slowly step forward so that she's in line with Sam.]

Is this the one ?

[She takes another step and her foot slides on the loose dirt, moving her just past the threshold and, as her hand moves to the wall to catch herself -

- "Grayson, look out!"

Her stomach lurches as the car swerves, but instead of coming to a stop on the side of the road like it's supposed to there's a hard bump as the car hits the sidewalk. Grayson's hands grip the wheel, trying to turn it back, but it's not fast enough. It was never going to be fast enough.

The guard rail breaks with an all too easy snap and then there's a brief moment where she feels weightless, like she's on a roller coaster, the worst roller coaster she's ever been on, so terrible she did it twice.

The water comes up at them quickly, too quickly, and as the she collides with the wall of water -

- Elena comes out of the vision with a gasp, choking on air almost as though she was drowning all over again, one of the least favorite of the ways she's died and Sam reaches out to catch her, concern lining his face.

"Elena?"]

[cholesterol]

( Dean brings the gun down and slips the phone out of his back pocket. First one to the body. He starts to type the message to the group, but he sees Elena fall against Sam and sputter for breath. A message can wait. He moves instantly, closer, placing the phone back into his pocket. )

Hey, Elena.

( He looks at Sam, ) Dude, what happened? ( He looked down for one second!

It's than their silhouettes are lit, casting their shadows on the wall as the body beyond them burns into nothing. Dean looks up, transfixed at the site, the flames reflecting in his eyes and then they're left in darkness again, with flashlights. )

That can't be good.

( He grimaces, but turns his attention back to Elena. )

[braveandstupid]

It was the night my parents died. It was like I was there all over again. The car went off the bridge and -

[The explanation is cut off by a small noise of pain, and before she can think too far ahead, Sam is pushing up her sleeves, checking her arms until his fingers come back wet with blood, and they can see the spell mark sliced neatly into her skin.

"Shit." The word escapes him, before he pulls the sleeve back down and squeezes a hand over the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.]

[cholesterol]

( the memory is bad enough. his memories of that night are different. partying at the falls, encountering her in the woods.

he and sam were gone the next day. his left them in a motel in maryland to go to grayson's funeral. he said it was work. but dean knew it was about elena's dead parents.

he thought about contacting her.

he didn't.

she's in pain again and he can't do anything about it. sam finds the source of the blood and the mark. this one carved into her skin. )

She didn't do anything!

[braveandstupid]

I touched the wall?

[When Sam feels the bleeding start to slow, he pushes her sleeve up again gently, smoothing away some of the blood so he can get a look at the sigil, unfortunately it's too much blood to see all the lines (2). He makes a face, frustrated, before shaking his head.

"We had to have triggered something. But why just Elena and not us too?"

Elena makes a face the wound, before pointing to her bag.]

Dean, can you get some of the gauze out of my bag?

[cholesterol]

( first Dean shines a light on the wall where her hand was, inspecting nothing but rock, and then turns it back to shine on Elena's arm again. )

I don't know, because she was in front?

( ish?

he sets the flashlight down and then drops to the ground to search through her bag, pulling out a roll of gauze. he grabs the flashlight again and returns to their side, holding the flashlight up. )

And why just up and torch her body? Does she want to preserve it?

[braveandstupid]

Maybe it isn't the real body.

[She takes the gauze from him and moves to wrap her arm.]

Maybe the real one is somewhere else and the body here was part of the trap?

[Sam gives a small shrug. "Wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility."]

[cholesterol]

Or, maybe it's down the other tunnel.

( Asking the question of 'Why mark her,' won't help anyone, so he doesn't. )

You okay? Anything... happening?

[abad_influence]

[Elena shakes her head. "It hurts, but getting your skin sliced open hurts. I don't feel ... weird?"

Lucas Sullivan, on the other hand, is feeling weird.

He jerks awake with a gasp in a dark hole, hands immediately scrambling for his chest where part of him knows a hole should be. But there is no whole. There isn't even a hole in his shirt. He yanks it up and nothing but clean, unblemished skin is disorienting, to say the last.

He's dead. He should be dead. Why is all of the sudden not?

One hand moves to his neck and he feels his heartbeat under it, and the panic continues to rise. He needs to get out of here, to find Cooper and Mickey, to figure out how long it's been, though he has a sneaking suspicion that he's not in London anymore.

Slowly he draws himself to his feet, patting himself down to see if he has any weapons on him at all, but the answer is no. He picks up voices coming from another part of the cave system(?) he seems to have found himself in and moves slowly, quietly (19) to try and get a better look at what he's dealing with.

No familiar faces, two men and a woman, one of them bleeding. The men are armed, he can't tell if the woman is. The taller one's back is to him, and he can see the gun tucked in his waistband. Charge, grab the gun, leverage his way out - it's a plan he's handled before.

But he doesn't actually know if these people are at fault for his sudden resurrection. The woman is bleeding, but that could mean any number of things. So he holds, and waits.]

[cholesterol]

( Dean's far too focused on the mark on Elena's shoulder to see Lucas behind her and Sam (9). The mark raises concerns. He was marked once and it didn't end well. He knows this doesn't send Elena on the run, but he doesn't know anything else beyond that, and it's killing him in this moment. )

We should get her out of here, I'll call the other side.

( Turning to shoulder Elena from the back, to help her down the tunnel if she needs it, his holster faces Lucas as he pulls his phone back out and calls Sullivan. )

[abad_influence]

[Sam senses something is off (14), but can't seem to tell what, while Elena is just confused and in pain (6) so her attention is elsewhere.

They're turning to go, and Lucas knows he should let them. But he doesn't want to just keep sitting out in this cave unarmed, and the gun in the holster is too tempting. He slowly creeps forward, trying to delicately get his fingers around the hilt (19) and slowly begin to draw it.

Elena is still oblivious (3), but Sam stops on the way out (17), an itch scratching at the back of his neck.

"Something about this doesn't feel right."]

[cholesterol]

( (4) Dean doesn't feel Lucas' professional-grade stealth attempt. )

Sullivan's not picking up. I don't like this.

( Dean uses his free hand to grab for his gun just in case and finds no gun. )

Get Elena out of here.

( He turns right then and sticks his hands up. Pay attention to him and not these two behind the curtain, Lucas. )

[abad_influence]

[The gun comes up immediately when Dean turns, gritting his teeth as he holds his stance steady, but not ready to shoot, not yet.]

Ah-ah. Don't go yet.

[Sam does put himself between the gun and Elena, drawing his own weapon to add to the Mexican standoff happening, but Lucas just darts his eyes between the two of them, wanting to see if he can figure out where the attack will come from first.]

Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on.

[cholesterol]

( Dean flinches, feeling his brother beside him, but keeps his hands up. He steps closer, too, to fully block Elena behind him and Sam. )

You tell me, Quickdraw.

( he squints, though, one hand still wrapped around the call he hopes is answered some time soon. )

Where'd you even come from?

[abad_influence]

Fuck if I know. I woke up in the back, and all that was here was a body on fire and she's bleeding which kind of screams ritual to me.

[He glances between the three of them, and he tries to reprocess the previous conversation before Dean turned around.]

Did you say Sullivan before?

[cholesterol]

Not our ritual, buddy.

( But, this guy is in the know, so it means maybe they can find common ground. Narrowing his eyes, he weighs his options. )

Michael. Sullivan.

( He keeps back Evelyn for now. )

Why? ( Wait a second. There's a family resemblance there, between Evelyn and Michael and Cooper. ) What's your name?

[abad_influence]

[There's a moment where he's thrown because his father shouldn't be here. His father wouldn't have done this. Not the man who browbeat into them their entire lives that no life was worth a demon deal.

Lucas was dead, he was supposed to stay dead, that's what dead things do. He glances from Dean to Sam to Elena, poking her head out from around the corner and they all seem sincere.

He relents, but he doesn't lower the weapon.]

Lucas.

[Sam's eyes widen in recognition. "Shit."]

[cholesterol]

( Dean looks back at Sam. )

You think Sullivan and his wife relived his death, too?

( he shares a look, 'what do you think is waiting in the other tunnel. is it possible? do they have marks, too' he regards Lucas again. )

My name is Dean Winchester, this is my brother Sam. My girlfriend, Elena. Our dad and I worked with yours when you were young. He's here with your mom. There's a twin tunnel going in the other direction. We can take you to them.

[abad_influence]

My mom's here?

[It comes out of him involuntarily. He should probably try and play it smarter, but it's been a long time since he's seen her, and she's also the last person he expects to be considering.

He's also realizing that he stole a gun off a Winchester, and he probably should just be grateful he hasn't gotten shot yet.

Elena, on the other hand, is doing the math, and when two and two eventually gives her four, her eyes widen. "Oh, god."

And she turns and takes off down the tunnel, trying to find her way to the other side.

In the meantime, Sam will be the smart hunter and fish out the holy water silver flask and toss it to him. "You know the drill."]

[cholesterol]

And your dad. Not your brother.

( Because he does know your brother. Tried to step to him, but, he's a good kid. )

Sam.

( Dean knows the drill, too, but he'd bet money it's more complicated than shifter or ghoul - and either way, Sam will get his gun back because Dean turns tail and follows behind her. )