How to Save a Soul - ABANDONED

Dean had followed at first to get sugar for his coffee even though he usually had it black. In passing he heard the conversation. Silently making his way over he noticed something wrong with the situation. Amalia looked confused, even a little frightened, and that wasn't how one would act around their favorite person. Returning to the kitchen he grabbed the salt container and stepped out as Ramona was insisting, "The lady said no. I think you should take that as an answer."

Kerica had also heard what was going on. Sam didn't because he was looking through one of the bookshelves. She looked up when Dean's voice entered the conversation and jumped to her feet, "Amalia?!"

As soon as the red head tried to walk out of the hallway, Amalia felt a strong hand grip her arm and she yelped in pain. The girl was struggling to get free from her aunt's hold, turning her head to face the larger woman only to freeze in place, seeing that her eyes were now pitch black and a snarky grin formed on her face. "No..." Her voice trembled, then turned to the group in which Sam tried to come forward. "Sam, stay back!!" She cried, only for the possessed Ramona to lift a hand and she sent the younger Winchester flying backwards, hitting the large bookshelf and found himself pinned to it by a powerful force.

"Now stay there, like a good boy." Ramona spoke, her voice much more darker and sinister.

"Let her go!" Dean shouted, tossing a huge handful of salt at Ramona's body. The demon screamed but only jerked Amalia and swung her hand at him, throwing him towards the door, skidding on the floor. Grunting, he hoisted himself to his feet and watched as Ramona didn't even flinch as one of Kerica's daggers sunk into her shoulder. Amalia's Aunt opened the door behind him with her powers and he was flung the rest of the way.

Kerica watched as Sam was knocked around the rest of the room, the coffee mugs shattering as he was slammed into the table and then at another wall, "Sam!" she cried, seeing him get flung out of the house after Dean. Freezing, she saw Amalia's crying face when possessed Ramona turned back to her. With a flourish of her hand, she cried out as she was flung backwards out the window, shattering it and she landed heavily on her back, the wind getting knocked out of her.

"Stop it!!!" Amalia screamed, causing the possessed woman to face her with a grin.

"Oh don't worry, my dear. I won't kill you..." A hand ran through the girl's hair, causing the red head to stare at her in fear. "Not yet, anyway. I think I'll have some fun with you first."

Sam groaned as he slowly sat up, seeing Kerica fly out the window and he rushed over to her, helping her get back on her feet. "You all right?!" He asked, worry etched on his face before he turned to the now locked down house. "Damn it!"

"I can't believe it!" Dean growled as he also hurried over, helping Sam get Kerica to stand, "You're going to have to take care of her, Sam. I can't use.../that/, but I'll have to figure something else out. She was really strong. Were it anybody else I would /waste/ that demon, but it's Amalia's Aunt. I can't kill her."

Kerica was gripping her chest, wheezing as she tried to breathe, head dizzy, "We could...ha...tag-team...it..." she panted, "Exorcise it...ha...together..."

"What, you mean...one of us goes in, spouts off some the chant, and when they get knocked around someone else jumps in and continues?" Dean asked, looking at Sam, "We've done that before. We could try. We just have to get back in somehow. Whoever made the exorcism chant made it too damn long, I swear to God."

Sam was supporting Kerica by helping her stay upright with one hand on her back and the other on her shoulder. His jaw was clenched and his eyes darted between the brunette and his brother. Rogue was barking in Kerica's car, and it was almost a vocal description of what he wanted to do. This was going to be a difficult fight, he knew. He immediately looked to Dean at Kerica's suggestion, biting the inside of his cheek in hesitation. "I'll go in first." He volunteered, seeing the older sibling's reluctant expression before he parted his lips to continue. "Look, I have the chant memorized. It'll go by a lot faster if I manage to get most of it done. It'll be risky, but it's worth a shot."

"Alright, then try your best. She's really strong, but not the strongest we've faced. Kerica will go last, she hit the ground pretty hard and the more recovered she is the better," Dean agreed after a moment, "You go the back, I'll go in through the front. Since she threw us out that way it'll take longer to unlock anyway."

~*~

'How could I let this happen...?' Amalia thought. She should have known it would be a trap from the beginning. And yet, she never saw it coming. She never would have thought that her own aunt, a hunter, would allow herself to be possessed by a demon. The red head was now tied up to a chair and her mouth was duck taped, so that she wouldn't say a word. Her head was hung low before she felt her chin be lifted up by her possessed aunt, glaring daggers at the demon before her.

"Now, now, my dear. No need to glare. If you stay on your best behavior, I may let you go. That is...if I feel like it." Said the demon with a mischievous grin, causing Amalia to glance to the side. She hated this feeling of helplessness, and that she would always be a victim. She hated it so much that it made her sick to her stomach. The red head could only hope that Dean, Sam and Kerica would send this bastard back to Hell where it belonged.

~

Sam took a deep breath and released it slowly as he watched the scene from the window on the back of the house, his jaw clenching again. He should have been more observant. He should have realized that this was all some trick. But he didn't, and it only made the anger in him boil in his blood. He waited for the signal from Kerica, trying to stay calm.

"Go, Sam," Kerica motioned to him, slipping her pocket knife out and flipping it open. The plan had changed where while the boys were distracting the demon she'd climb through the window she'd been pushed through and would free Amalia. she just needed to wait for both of them to get in there.

Seeing the woman's signal, Sam nodded and charged in through the door with full force, catching both the possessed Ramona and Amalia by surprise. The red head turned her head to see the younger Winchester with wide eyes, a muffled yell leaving her as if to warn him to stay back. The demon snarled at the man, clicking her tongue and shook her head. "Looks like someone is ready to play." She chuckled, an inhuman grin forming on her face.

It was then that he began to perform the exorcism chant, causing the demon to grow wide eyed and Ramona's body began to twitch.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus
omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio
infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,
omnis congregatio et secta diabolica!"

She used a powerful force to send him flying against the wall like she had before, causing him to cry out in pain, but he continued the chant in hopes of distracting the bastard,
"Ergo draco maledicte
et omnis legio diabolica
adjuramus te..." It seemed to work for the time being as the demon stalked forward, grabbing his throat to keep Sam from chanting any further.

Amalia watched with terrified eyes, looking around frantically as she tried to get loose from the rope that bound her wrists together behind the chair.

"Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,
eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare!"

Dean had unlocked the door and barged in, shouting the next verse which caused the demon to whip around, her hand still on Sam's throat.

"Vade, Satana, inventor et magister
omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis!"

The demon sure didn't like what it was hearing as it broke away from Sam and put it's hands over it's ears, screaming briefly before charging Dean, hands outstretched but she was immediately stopped as her previous victim opened his mouth, and the brothers chanted together.

"Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,
contremisce et effuge, invocato a
nobis sancto et terribili nomine,
quem inferi tremunt!"

Kerica had finished climbing over the window and was darting on her tip-toes over to Amalia, crouched down and she started cutting at the ropes, "I got ya, just hang on."

Once Amalia's hands were free Kerica jumped up and threw a dagger at Ramona's back. It was a small one, not enough to do damage to the human, but enough to get the demon's attention.

"Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire
te rogamus, audi nos!"

The demon was unable to stay in Ramona's body for much longer once the chant was finished, and a large cloud of black smoke was rising from the woman's mouth and a loud scream emitted from her throat as the demon was forced out. Amalia was finally free from her binds thanks to Kerica, and she removed the tape that covered her mouth carefully as she watched with wide eyes. Soon the demon was completely out of Ramona's body, flying out of the broken living room window in search of a new body to corrupt.

Amalia's aunt soon collapsed to the ground, her strength leaving her as she drifted into unconsciousness. The red head rushed over to the older woman and pressed two fingers against her neck, sighing in relief when she felt a pulse. "She's okay..." She said, hanging her head before smiling up at the three. "Thank you... And I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

Sam sighed in relief to hear that Ramona would be all right, and smiled down at the younger female. "We're just glad you're okay."

Kerica retrieved her knife and cleaned it off before putting it away, then grabbed a cloth to hold it over the injury, "Ramona should be fine, just with two more holes to add to her collection of scars," she was a hunter, she was sure to have plenty.

"Let's get the room cleaned up and put her on the couch until she wakes up," Dean sighed and started picking up books.

With a nod, Amalia helped clean up the living room while Sam placed the unconscious Ramona onto the couch, patching up her wounds. After about an hour and thirty minutes of cleaning, Amalia knelt down beside her sleeping aunt, her delicate hand placed over hers. Not long after she had done so, Ramona fluttered her eyes open with a groan. The red head watched with a relieved smile as the larger woman turned her head to face her.

"Amalia..." She muttered, causing the young woman to let out a soft breath.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, watching her aunt look around and noticed Dean, Sam and Kerica standing behind her niece.

"Sore... And completely out of it." She chuckled, only to wince in slight pain. "What happened...?"

"You were possessed by a demon, Ms. Rae." Sam answered, hands tucked in his jean pockets as he shifted on his feet. "Do you remember anything?"

Ramona blinked a few times, thinking for a moment before the color in her face drained. "I remember nothing..."

"Are you /sure/?" Kerica asked, "Because I know several people that have remembered. They can see what's happening but can't control their body sort of thing."

"Tch, yeah, ain't that the truth," Dean grumbled, "I don't know about Kerica here but I've pretty much had it up to 'here' with bullshit," he put his hand up above his head, "So just tell us the truth, Ms. Rae. What happened? How long were you possessed? What was the demon's purpose?"

Ramona was silent for a moment, before a sigh left her tired lips. "I think it's been at least a week since the demon entered my body..." She started, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. "That bastard... He made me watch as I tied up my niece. I saw the terrified look on her face.... I have no idea on what he wanted." Her voice and lower lip trembled, eyes shut tight before she found herself calming down as she felt Amalia's hand rest on her own.

"You had no control over what happened... It's not your fault." She reassured, voice soft and tender as if trying to soothe a child.

Sam watched with soft eyes, remaining silent. He was surprised on how understanding the red head was, despite what happened.

"You know, do you think it could've been to lure Amalia here? Or even you guys?" Kerica asked, "A week...it's had plenty of time to do things. Plan, prepare, but it went down fairly easily. I don't like it. Nothing is ever easy."

"Kerica's right, Sam, this could've been a trap. What do you think is happening?" Dean tuned to his brother, "Everything's been pretty bland up until now, too. No cases, no other hits, and there's /always/ something to do."

"Tonight was too easy, I'll agree with you on that." Sam spoke, turning to his older brother. "But I have a very strong feeling that this demon wants something... And I think it involves Amalia in some way."

The red head turned to the group with worried eyes, still holding onto her aunt's hand. "What do you mean...?" She asked, her heart pounding against her chest before Ramona spoke up.

"I remember it saying something..." She started, looking at her niece with wet eyes. "It said... It said that 'your little girl will get what's coming to her'."

Amalia's heart sunk at her aunt's words, her face growing pale and her blood grew cold. 'Why...?'

"Ramona...it's only your side of the family that's been hunters, right? Do you think this demon has a personal vendetta against you?" Dean asked, "We've had situations like this more than once. This is kind of the same M.O."

"Why didn't it kill Amalia, then?" Kerica put her hands on her hips, "It had the perfect opportunity."

"Well if you know anything about anything then you know we're pretty famous in the hunter/demon world," Dean pointed out, "It probably realized it had a bigger prize on it's hands once it saw us."

Ramona nodded at Dean's words, a grim look on her face. "That is correct..." She said simply, causing Amalia to bite her lip as her aunt continued. "I have a strong feeling that the bastard will be back, and with a vengeance..."

The redhead looked to the side briefly before smiling weakly at her aunt, brushing some hair away from the older woman's face. "You should get some rest, Aunt Ramona. You must be exhausted..." She said, earning a tired smile from her. Just as Amalia stood on her feet, Ramona took her niece's hand in hers.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl... Please be careful out there." She said, causing Amalia to squeeze her hand.

"It's okay," She smiled. "I will."

With that said, Ramona closed her eyes before saying one last thing. "By the way... You owe me new china."

~*~

Feeling they overstayed their welcome, the four of them found a nearby hotel to crash in. Rogue was all over Amalia, glad his owner was alright. The pup was sleeping on Amalia's chosen bed now. Kerica and Amalia were lucky enough to get a room only a few doors down from the boy's just in case something happened. "Amalia, do you want to go take a shower first? Since the guys are probably doing the same, I figure I should go get us some drinks to ease the tension. Do you like apple cider?" Kerica asked.

Amalia immediately turned to Kerica once she talked to her, a smile creasing her lips. "Sure. Apple cider sounds good right now." She giggled, moving from her spot on the bed to grab some pajamas for when she got out of the shower. Letting out a soft and quiet sigh, the red head looked out the window to stare at the full moon that hovered in the night sky. She had been worrying about whether or not Dean was upset with her. He hadn't spoken to her since they left Ramona's house, and it made her uneasy.

~

Sam had just hopped out of the shower with a towel around his waist, seeing the moody look on his brother's face. He quirked up an eyebrow and pursed his lips together. "What's with the whole doom and gloom look?"

"You know why, Sam," Dean groaned as he gripped Sam's sweatpants in a bundle and tossed them at his brother, "I can't bring out the damn First Blade around either of them, let alone use my powers. I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to use it on Amalia's Aunt. I had a feeling she'd be a liability. At least Kerica's useful. I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?" he sighed and moved passed Sam to get into the bathroom, "Now this damn demon is after Amalia. Who knows what it'll do next."

Sam sighed and grabbed his brother's arm in a firm yet gentle grip, looking Dean with a soft look on his face. "I'm sure Amalia never asked for this. She means well. Believe me, I know she does. But if you really believe that she's just going to get in the way and be a burden to you, I'd rather you tell her that. It'll break her heart either way... I can tell that she really likes you." He stated, letting go of his arm. "And by the way... She talked to me before we went inside. She's worried about you." He added, saying nothing more and proceeded to get dressed for the night.

"Of course she's worried about me while I'm being worried about her," Dean mumbled and closed the door behind him.

About fifteen minutes later while he was drying his hair, Dean heard a knock on the door and he checked the peep-hole, noticing it was only Kerica. Opening the door he stepped back when she held up a case of an angry orchard summer variety pack, "The hell is this? Where's the real booze?"

"Oh, you mean the piss-drink called beer? If you want to drink that, go buy your own case. Amalia's finishing getting comfortable and I told her to head over here," Kerica stuck her tongue out.