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Wash Away My Sins - Chapter Eight - Supernatural
Title: Wash Away My Sins
Authors: Aratocriel and Jade Blood
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Dean, Sam, Dean/OFC, Sam/OFC, OC!villains
Disclaimer: Supernatural and it's characters belong to Kripke and the CW. Nina belongs to Aratocriel, and Janis belongs to me (Jade), so no using them without our permission. We make no profits from this and are just having fun!
Summary: A year after the events of "Unity in Duality", Janis and Nina are a bit savvier regarding the world of the paranormal, but the resurgence of old enemies has left them needing the help of the Winchesters once more.
Previous Chapters: 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7
Author's Note: I apologize for the wait on this next chapter for those of you that were following along. It's been a rather busy semester for both me and my co-author. I hope to get into a regular, weekly routine of posting these chapters again though. I appreciate your patience, though. Without further ado, enjoy!



Chapter Eight

Nina slapped her hand all over her dresser, searching for the cell phone that was so rudely interrupting her sleep.

"Hello?" She muttered once she flipped the phone open. "Easy, Fred, slow down. What about Codi?" At the mention of Codi's name, Sam was upright in bed, staring at her. "Oh my God, okay. Fred, please, go home. Let the police take care of everything… Okay, alright, thanks for letting me know. Bye."

The phone snapped shut as Nina faced Sam, wide-eyed. “Fred found Codi in the shop this morning, completely torn apart, limb from limb."

Sam looked as though he wanted to wilt at such news, but he set his jaw. He ran both hands through his hair as he considered the best mode of action. “Dean and I will look into it, but it’ll have to wait until the cops clear out. Otherwise, they’ll recognize us, and… trust me, no one wants that.”

He deftly avoided saying anything about their criminal records, but it was certainly on his mind. He got out of bed and immediately began fishing for a fresh shirt and pair of jeans. “For now, just get dressed. We need to let Dean and Janis know.”

She stood up, almost numbly, and dressed, allowing Sam to guide her out of the room. As she suspected, even though it was already past 10:30 in the morning, Janis and Dean were still asleep.

Nina knocked lightly on Janis's bedroom door. "Janis, honey?"

Stirring beneath the covers, both Dean and Janis attempted at first to block the sound of knuckles on wood. Then they both recalled where they were, and Dean was up first, sliding his boxers on and crossing to the door. Janis sat up but kept herself covered as she listened from the bed.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Dean asked, rubbing his eyes with one hand. When he pulled back, they were half-lidded as he openly struggled with wakefulness.

"Sorry to wake you guys." Nina glanced past Dean to Janis. "But I just got a phone call. Codi's been killed."

“Oh God, Nina…” Janis ran a hand through her tangled hair and floundered before managing, “I’m so sorry.”

“Give us ten minutes,” Dean murmured to Sam, who nodded in compliance.

The door was shut between them, and Sam did as Dean had just instructed, taking Nina away and into the kitchen. He got a pot of coffee going while they waited, and it was more or less fifteen minutes before the other couple joined them, showered and dressed.

“Do we know what the status of the scene is?” Dean asked. “Cops?”

“Swarming the place, no doubt,” Sam sighed as he nursed a steaming mug. “She was at the shop when it happened. Unless they moved her there after the fact?”

“Either way, that’s going to look really funky,” Dean muttered as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Reg turned inside out, now Codi. You girls are about to get some strange looks.”

“We already do,” Janis grumbled. “So what you really mean is it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

"They're going to kill off everyone we know before this is over." Nina shook her head. "All while we hide away in this house, all because of some stupid shit I pulled a year ago. Oh God…" Tears formed in her eyes, and she grunted, shaking her head, swallowing the sadness that was creeping up. "What is our next step? I mean, after we check out the crime scene."

“We start making some noise back at ‘em,” Dean growled, his hard expression saying far more than his words.

“What’re you saying?” Sam asked with a tilt of his head. “Just…” He frowned and shrugged. “…Waltz in and punch them in the face? Wherever they are…”

“Nina, you said one of them was your neighbor?” Dean prompted, ignoring his brother for the time being.

"Yeah, Laura; she lives just a few houses down," she replied. "Are you thinking of trying to capture her?"

“If not that, then exorcise her,” Dean answered. “Level the playing field and make this at least a little more fair.”

“Who’s to say she’ll be there?” Sam argued.

“Because if she’s bothering with trips to the grocery store, she might be trying to fake her way through a normal day still,” Dean said, and he was starting to sound strained. “They won’t expect a strike back, so maybe we can catch her alone.”

“And if we don’t?” Sam spat. “What if that’s exactly what they want and it’s an ambush?”

“That’s why we go alone,” Dean shrugged. “Packing holy water and rocksalt rounds, lil brother. Like always.”

“No, not like always,” Sam pointed out. “Because ever since--”

Dean slammed his fist down on the table in front of him and leaned in with a dangerous glint in his eye, one that stilled even Janis though she’d thought herself past being intimidated by him. “Sammy… Shut up.”

Sam held his brother’s glare, and it was Dean that broke the staring competition they’d found themselves in. “We’ve got a few hours before we can even bother with the crime scene,” Sam breathed. “So you might as well cool down.”

“And you might as well get ready,” Dean barked before striding away. The room was cleared of the argument that had barely begun, but tension still tainted the air.

“What was that about?” Janis asked.

“Nothing,” Sam snarled, pushing himself up from the table and trudging out.

The next, few hours passed slowly, the house mostly silent aside from Janis and Nina's soft conversation and the occasional sound of one of Dean's guns clicking as he cleaned it. Sam had taken to the sofa, flipping through the books the girls had on their shelves.

It was Dean who finally stood, breaking the quiet gathering. "Sammy, time to head out."

With a nod, Sam put the book back and joined his brother.

"Let me go get my keys so we can get in the back of the shop," Nina said, starting towards her room.

"You girls aren't going," Dean shook his head, stopping Nina.

“So we’re having this argument again, hmm?” Janis asked, sounding monumentally bored with the idea. “Let’s just get through the highlights, shall we? Dean, we’re grown women with a lot more experience under our belt now.” Before Dean could answer, Janis took on his tone and answered for him. “‘That doesn’t matter! I don’t wanna hear that! Go in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!’” She shifted back to her normal voice and continued. “But, Dean, this is a threat on us, so anything you find affects us. Not to mention she’s Nina’s boss. She should be allowed to see for herself, just as I did with Reg.” Again, she switched voices, crossing her arms over her chest when she did. “‘All the more reason for you both to stay here, because I like contradicting everything you say! I’m awesome like that! Look at me!’”

Dean blinked at her. “When have I ever said ‘look at me’ for no reason?”

“Whatever,” Janis dismissed. “I’m trying to get it through your head that this conversation is so played out I think I might explode if I have to go through it one, more time.”

"Fine, we'll settle it this way,” Nina put in as she crossed her arms over her chest. “If Janis and I can get past you, we're going. And maybe it'll help you realize that we're not helpless damsels in distress this time around."

“You do realize that after we get done with the scene itself, we’re going to be heading straight to Laura’s house,” Sam put in carefully. “This is not going to be pretty, and I think you both know it.”

“You know what?” Dean smirked with a sweeping gesture that seemed to say he was going to concede the point to them. “Sure. Let’s go.”

“I really don’t want to do it this way,” Janis sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I already said I’m not going to fight you for any reason, but especially not one this childish.”

“Yeah, I thought so,” Dean grunted. It was obvious he’d been in no mood for the confrontation in the first place, and it was only more plain as he was fought against every step of the way. “Sam, let’s go.”

Nina stepped forward, grabbing Dean's arm and spinning him back towards her, her foot sweeping out as she pushed, toppling him over backwards. He hit the ground with a thud, and she looked down at him with one eyebrow raised. "Aside from the fact that Codi was a friend, I can get you into the shop a little easier, and it wouldn't be so weird for me to be there."

“Nina!” Janis howled, kneeling down beside Dean and sweeping a hand under his head as he winced from where it had struck the floor.

“That doesn’t count, you know,” he grunted. “It was like a sucker punch.”

Janis sat back, looking down at him as though he were unbelievable. “What, are you calling a do-over?”

“Yeah,” Dean muttered as he struggled to sit up. “You gotta call ‘go’ first or something.”

“This isn’t Mortal Kombat,” Janis argued. “You acted like you were ready.”

“Ready for a sloppy kick?” Dean laughed. “I must not have been. I understand you took your self-defense courses, but that doesn’t make either of you prepared for a real fight.”

“That’s it,” Janis growled, and swung her fist around so that it connected with his face and sent him onto his back again. “How about that? Did that feel like a sucker punch from a little girl?”

Sam winced and actually took a step back, ultimately deciding that he did not want to receive any well-deserved punishment for having a misogynistic attitude.

“I didn’t want to do this,” Dean snarled as he reached for her wrists.

He had no intention of hurting her, but locking her in his arms with nowhere to go might humble her a bit more. Janis actually allowed him to press her back into the floor, then kicked and used his own leverage against him so that he tumbled on his back again. Janis came down on top of him with unforgiving force, forcing him down. She could tell that if he wanted, he could toss her off as though she weighed nothing, but he looked far too impressed with her at the moment.

“Wow, baby,” he breathed. “You weren’t kidding.”

“No, I wasn’t,” she huffed down at him. Her legs were pinning his to the floor, her dainty hands holding his wrists above his head. She let her finger tighten where they rested and saw his eyes narrow. “Do you give?”

A slow smirk crossed his face, and he took a moment to squirm beneath her. “Uncle.”

Leaning in for a quick kiss, she slid off, then helped him to his feet.

"Granted, you both have learned self-defense, good job," Dean grunted. "But Sam is still right. We're heading to Laura’s afterward, and if it's an ambush, it'll be easier for the two of us to get out rather than the four of us."

Before Nina could protest, Sam stepped forward, placing a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. "Please, Nina. Let Dean and I handle this. You girls called us for help, so let us do just that."

Nina was silent, her eyes catching his before she nodded in defeat. "Fine, but call us before you go in and when you come out of the shop." She fished in her pocket and pulled out a pair of keys connected by a ring. The plastic bauble dangling from this announced that she had PMS and a gun, so she wasn’t to be messed with. "Here's the master key to the shop. It'll get you in all the doors, and this'll get you into any of the safes or cabinets that are locked."

Sam reached for the key ring, his hand lingering on hers before he pulled away and pocketed them. “Thank you.”

“Be careful,” Janis sighed, miffed that she wasn’t coming along to keep an eye on them herself.

“Says the woman that just kicked my ass,” Dean laughed, planting a soft kiss on her lips, then turning to go out the door. Sam nodded to them silently and followed.

* * * * *

“How long does it take to unlock a door, dude?” Dean hissed. “I think this would actually go quicker if you had to break in.”

“It’s an old lock,” Sam argued in his defense as he forced the key in. With even more muscle applied, it turned, and they entered. Sam was quick to jerk the key back into his possession and close the door behind him as the unmistakable tang of blood came to their attention.

They were welcomed by several feet of police tape which were doing a fairly terrible job of closing off the sensitive areas from the rest of the shop. Based on the sheer amount of blood and the way it was spattered, worse than Reg’s home if possible, the murder had taken place right where they stood. As would be expected with only the most savage display, there’d been no move made to clean up. Demons didn’t care if they got caught.

“This is sick, man,” Dean grunted. “I mean, even for us.”

Sam winced and nodded. “I didn’t think you could underestimate a demon, but I think we officially have. Because I’m… This is just beyond.”

“I know,” Dean murmured, and his expression softened. “We’re gonna make this quick.”

They roamed as carefully as possible, trying not to leave tracks in the blood that was so liberally puddled on the floor. The cops had done a slightly better job with this scene, attempting to map where body parts had been laid in tape.

Sam looked about, then offered Dean a puzzled look. “Missing an arm and leg…”

Dean was inspecting a piece of bloodied wire that hung from the ceiling. “They were probably strung up…”

Approaching the front counter almost on tiptoe, Sam peered at the large, red stain surrounded by haphazard tape. “I think the head was here.”

“It’s like she got attacked by Pinhead or something,” Dean frowned, then caught sight of pock marks in the wall. He stepped closer and tugged a small flashlight from his pocket, shining it into the tiny holes with a soft smile. “She didn’t sit back and take it, though. She fought.” When Sam turned, he waved the light over the damaged plaster. “Rocksalt imbedded in the walls. How much you want to bet that at least a little of this blood is theirs?”

While he wanted this to be uplifting, Sam could only continue to grimace at the mess around them. Across the counter, he saw a puddle that looked more pink than red, as though the blood were watered-down. When he turned to see if there was more, he wasn’t disappointed.

“Holy water,” he said, then grunted a sharp laugh. So it did make him feel a little better.

“At least they know we’re not playing anymore,” Dean said. He was crouched down, shining the light into a particularly thick puddle, realizing now that it was not gore that made it seem so. It was salt.

“And we know the same about them,” Sam sighed. “There was a calling card last time, wasn’t there? A message.”

“Yeah, but I bet the cops would have collected it,” Dean answered. “Then again, you never know. They aren’t exactly the smartest guys around. The biggest crimes that happen in towns like these are teenagers leaving flaming bags of crap on your doorstep.”

“Didn’t you get caught for that once?” Sam asked as he roamed behind the counter.

“I didn’t get caught,” Dean grinned playfully. “But I sure as hell did it.”

Sam rolled his eyes and knelt down in front of a safe that was tucked nearly out of sight. The combination lock and handle had bloody fingerprints that appeared to have already been dusted. He wasn’t too keen on adding his own, so he slid his hand into his sleeve when reaching for the handle and used the smaller of the two keys to unlock it. When opened, he found it was nearly empty aside from a lone piece of notebook paper folded in half. He stood and crossed back over to Dean as he opened the note.

“‘Thanks for the fresh meat,’” he read aloud, drawing Dean’s attention instantly. “‘She wasn’t a target until you made her one. We love it when you do our job for us.’”

Dean stared at the scrawled words coldly, as if a demon would fly out of it at any moment. “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“You think they saw Codi come over and decided to hone in on her?” Sam asked softly. “I thought--”

“No, no,” Dean grunted. “They had to have known that Codi was Nina’s boss. They knew about Reg, so how else do you explain that? They’re just trying to screw with her.”

“We probably shouldn’t let her see this,” Sam suggested.

“Well, keep it until we get out of here. I don’t want you leaving your prints anywhere. Unless you want a murder rap like your big brother.”

“No thanks.” Sam then wadded the paper into his jacket pocket, and the two of them made a hasty exit.

To Be Continued...