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Ruby presses down on the gas, speeding away from the church onto a dark, back road highway. Her body is wound tight with adrenaline having just barely escaped Alistair at the church. She isn’t sure when the scary bastard had come topside, but she wasn’t about to get in his way right now. She hopes Sam made it out alive, or Alistair would have serious hell to pay after all the time she’d put into this mission.
For now though, she focuses on Anna at her side, the golden ticket, top priority on Hell's most wanted list. If Alistair was after her then she was going to have to find out just what was so special about Anna besides her pretty red hair and spectacular set of lungs. She nearly had to drag Anna to the car and now next to her the woman will hardly look at her at all. She’s just sitting there in the passenger seat with her eyes shut tight taking in steady breaths trying to keep her panic from spilling over. At least her screams had finally stopped.
"Where are you taking me?" Anna asks, finally speaking.
Ruby can hear the slight shake in her voice and feel the fear rolling off her. "Somewhere safe." she replies glancing over at Anna whose knuckles are now white from gripping the edges of the seat too hard.
Ruby’s mouth flicks up almost involuntarily as she turns her eyes back to the road. Maybe a long time ago she would've been offended that Anna found her so frightening, but the truth is fear was something she liked, something she trusted. If someone else was afraid, she was the one in control. But then, that was the only way anyone survived Hell. "Relax kid," she relents, "I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m here to help Sam and that means keeping you safe."
Anna shifts a little and folds her arms across her chest. "I’m not a kid."
Ruby smiles and quirks an eyebrow up glancing out of the corner of her eye again , but says nothing.
After a few beats Anna relaxes some, but now she’s fidgeting with her necklace no doubt re-playing everything that’s happening up to this point. “Are you Ruby?”
How the hell did she know that? “Yeah… how did you…?”
“It’s just, the angels talk about you sometimes. They really don’t like you very much.”
“Yeah well, can’t say I’d invite them to dinner myself. So what, the angels talk to you, but can’t be bothered to help you?”
Anna huffs a laugh and repeats what she’d told Dean earlier. “Oh, no. I don’t think they know I’m here. I just overhear them sometimes.”
Huh, who knew angels were so chatty. And now she knows why Alistair was after the girl. “It’s probably better that way. You think demons are scary…”
Anna smiles at that. “Well, you’re not so bad. I think maybe the angels are wrong about you.”
Ruby presses her lips together. What can she really say to that? Don’t get your hopes up? Instead, she shrugs. “Thanks, I try.”
They continue on the small two-lane highway for about an hour passing through the occasional small town. The sun is just starting to set as Ruby turns onto a gravel road that looks the same as all the others spread out between patches of forest areas and cleared lots with no buildings.
It’s dark by the time they approach an overgrown road barely even visible from the car. Ruby slows and turns up the hidden muddy path. A few moments later a building comes into view. "Great," she sighs, "a glorified shed." She puts the car in park and pops the trunk. "Grab the bag from the back seat, there's a flashlight in the side pocket," she says going around back and pulling a gas can and her own flashlight out of the trunk before slamming it shut. "You can go in. The door's not locked.” She nods her head towards the door that has some vines grown over top of of it. “I was told there was a generator out back here so I'm going to put some gas in it and see if I can get it started." She looks up to see Anna still standing there staring at her with an expression Ruby can't really read. "What?" she snaps.
Anna's eyes go wide like she hadn’t realized she’d been staring and she shakes her head. "Nothing," she she mumbles as she tucks a piece of her red hair nervously behind her ear. She shifts the bag on her shoulder and heads inside.
---
Anna cracks the front door open. It's too dark to see anything so she digs the flashlight out of the bag flicking it on. The place is small. Ruby had been right calling it a glorified shed. It looks to be nothing more than a safe place for hunters to hide out during a bad storm or extreme weather. A bench, some chairs, a small wood burning stove in the corner and some pots and pans hung on the wall. She was glad to see the last person who was here has nicely left a small pile of wood next to the wood stove so she tosses the bag down and grabs a couple logs from the wood pile. A mouse, startled by the movement of the wood squeals and runs across her feet, she screams in return dropping the wood to the floor. As soon as she realizes what has happened she begins laughing at herself. Of all the things, she laughs harder.
Ruby bursts through the door in the back, ready for a fight and that really sends her into a fit of laughter. Sheer exhaustion has taken over now and she puts an embarrassed hand over her face and the other on her knee laughing her apologies. “I’m so sorry,” she breaths deep before cracking up again when she sees Ruby still looking so serious, “...a mouse...”
“A... mouse…?” Ruby echos confused and then laughs herself shaking her head. “Red, you got much bigger things to worry about.”
“Right, I know.” She straightens herself up smile still spread across her face and inhales deeply getting control of herself finally. “Sorry again and thanks for coming to my rescue. Again.”
Ruby pulls an annoyed face and shrugs. “Don’t mention it, kid,” she says turning to head back outside.
“Ruby, please don’t call me kid.” Anna says a little more firmly this time. It reminds her too much of her time in hospitals over the years and she doesn’t want to be seen as fragile or helpless anymore.
“Right, sorry,” Rubby agrees, “you got it.”
“Thanks.” she says as Ruby turns back outside. Anna wonders how anyone like Ruby could’ve ended up in Hell. She was nothing like the other demons she’s seen, even the host she used was different. She decides to ask Ruby about it later when or if the time is right and begins working on building a fire in the wood stove.
----
Ruby picks up the tipped over gas can she’d dropped when Anna had screamed. The stench of the gas lingers in the air and she can’t be sure how much of it leaked out into the ground. “Well that’s just peachy!” she huffs and the puff of air lingers. “A mouse?” she continues grumbling as she kicks some dirt over the spill. At the generator she checks the level of the motor oil and then fills ups the gas compartment before plugging it in and turning it on.
The lights inside spark to life. At least something is finally going right. She sets the gas can by the back door before she goes back inside. “Let there be light.” she says flatly as she shuts the door behind her.
In the middle of the room Anna is kindling a fire in the stove, but she turns and grins at Ruby like she actually thought the joke was funny. Ruby rolls her eyes and pushes down the weird desire to grin right back at her.
Instead, she grabs the duffle bag on the torn up leather couch and begins going through the supplies. Toiletries, bandages, a small first aid kit, hex bags, some water, food. No cell phone. She checks her pockets, not there either. She’ll need to contact Sam soon for a game plan, but she decides it will be better to wait a while longer to make sure they weren’t tracked here. She makes a mental note to teach Sam the goblet of blood spell soon, this would make things a lot easier right now.
She’s mentally retracing her steps from when she last used her phone when a sudden flapping noise erupts behind her. For one, long, terrifying moment she freezes. This is it. The jig is up. The angels have found us. I did not sign up for angels! Her mind rails, and her heart pounds loudly in her ears.
“Ruby?”
Anna’s voice sounds far away, but decidedly not panicked. There’s no screaming, no pain and so, finally she turns. Relief washes over her. There’s only Anna, concern practically pouring from her green eyes like a cartoon character. It would be laughable if it weren’t actually kinda endearing. A blanket is hanging in Anna’s hands and Ruby realizes she must have been shaking the dust out.
“Everything ok?” Anna asks.
Ruby clenches her jaw in a poor attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Yeah. Fine,” she nods. Lost my phone,” she says tersely, turning back to the duffle bag. She zips it shut with an exasperated sigh. “Gonna go check the car.”
---
Anna watches the complete mystery that is Ruby hurry out the front door. The angels definitely don't like demons, but they don't like Sam either. And if it weren't for Sam hiding her in that closet, or Ruby pulling her out, she's certain she would be dead in front of that stained glass window of her father's church by now, or worse.
All her instincts are telling her to trust Ruby. Especially after everything she's done tonight. Demons don’t just go around rescuing perfect strangers. But she can’t shake the feeling that Ruby won’t trust her in return, that Ruby sees her as nothing more than a temporary burden. It’s just to help Sam, she’d said as much on the drive up.
She knows something was wrong a moment ago. Ruby's true form had been swirling around like smoke in a jar all night, but suddenly everything was very still like fog and she wrapped herself defensively closer to her body's frame. It only lasted a split second, she could've blinked and missed it, because one heartbeat later it was like nothing had happened.
She imagines someone being able to watch her heart speed up with excitement or watch as her lungs freeze in a moment of fear. It's almost invasive, she thinks, that she can sense tiny changes like that in Ruby. So, why should Ruby confide in her?
But that doesn’t stop her from wanting it, from wanting to know everything she can. If only, so she can protect herself.
---
After Ruby comes back inside they fall into a kind of comfortable silence. Well maybe not exactly comfortable. Anna is sitting by the wood stove staring into the fire, but Ruby can feel Anna’s eyes turn to watch her every time she shifts even slightly. She’s about to snap when Anna’s voice breaks the silence.
"How'd you become a demon?" she asks.
Nosy much? Ruby thinks. "I was a witch and made a deal with a demon."
"Wait, witches are real too?"
"Yeah. Well, it's not quite so magical as trading your voice to win your true love, but it's useful for healing, and well, other not-quite-so-honorable deeds."
Anna gives her a sad smile that turns into a frown. "So you're a," she hesitates, "a demon," she whispers like the words themself are a sin, "because you were a witch when you were alive?"
Ruby nods and shrugs. "That about sums it up." She really doesn't want to talk about this at all. It’s hard enough as it is to remember that her deal was part of the way she saved her sister’s life. It’s hard enough as it is to remember everything, period.
"Oh my god..."
"Yeah well, guess that's how your precious God sees things." Ruby does nothing to hide the bitterness of her words. She doesn't owe anything to anyone and she’d do it all over again if she had the chance. "So yeah, I went to hell because of that, but I'm a demon because it was the only chance of getting back topside. It saved me in a way, sick as that may sound to someone like you."
Anna flinches at the accusation but says nothing.
"Sure beats the alternative." she scoffs.
"I'm so sorry. That's terrible..." Anna shudders in front of her and opens her mouth to speak again but then presses her lips back together, hesitating. She shakes her head and looks to the ground like she's trying to wrap her mind around all the bible stories her parents ever told her about, all the sins and Hell. "How long... ," she starts to ask but the question dies before it comes all the way out out.
"What? Have I been dead, in Hell, a demon?" Ruby guesses. She wishes she could change the subject already. None of it is any of her business.
"Yeah. A demon, I guess? If you don’t mind telling me," she says tentatively with her eyes fixed on the floorboards at her feet.
Ruby relaxes a little feeling her control come back. She doesn’t really blame her for having so many questions after everything the girl has been through. And there's something about Anna's sincerity that catches her off guard. The urge to tell more than she needs to know is strong, though she’s not sure why. Especially, not when it could screw up everything in the final home stretch.
"A long time," she finally decides. "Too long to explain right now," she continues, "and for now we really need to figure out a way to keep you safe and maybe what makes that angel radio of yours go off.”
“Yeah ok,” Anna nods looking a little unsure of herself.
“You know,” Ruby says in a comforting tone, “you might actually be the key to helping Sam and Dean find Lilith and keeping her from breaking the final seal. So, basically you get to help us save the world and all that good stuff."
Anna looks up at her surprised and smiles at her like it's the best news she's heard in years. What's worse, Ruby thinks, is it might actually be true. Ruby swallows down the unfamiliar lump of guilt forming in her throat at her deliberate manipulation. She goes to look out the window, it’s still pitch dark and everything seems clear, she’s certain they haven’t been followed now and she needs to contact Sam before they start thinking she’s run off with Anna.
The quickest way to check on things would be to switch to a new host and see if he's hiding out at any of their regular spots, but she doesn’t want to traumatize Anna any more than she already has been today. Maybe if she does it outside… she grabs her jacket off the back of a chair. “Hey, uh, I gotta go let Sam and Dean know where we are and make sure they’re still in one piece.”
"You’re not leaving me here are you?"
"You’ll be ok, no one else knows where we are. I'll be back fast as I can."
"No way," Anna says firmly, "I’m coming with you."
“Look, I didn’t want to freak you out. I’m not actually taking the car. The quickest way for me to look for them is to find a new host, so I um, I can’t take you with me.
Anna squints confused momentarily and then her eyes widen, understanding. "Oh."
"I just thought it might be a little weird for you." Ruby explains. "You know, after everything else."
Anna shakes her head. “No, no I’ll be fine. I’ll stay here and watch over you," Anna nods pointedly and then frowns. "Or, her, um," she pauses flustered and tries again, "I mean, I’ll make sure nothing happens." Anna huffs an embarrassed laugh and hides her face in her hands.
Ruby can't help but laugh at that because this whole entire situation is beyond awkward and there's no other way around it. Ruby pats her sympathetically on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go in the room there to lie down and I’ll open a window so you don’t have to see anything. I won’t be long." She turns and steps into the bedroom closing the door behind her and lets out a nervous breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding in. She can't afford to get distracted right now and so puts her guard back up keeping the task at hand in mind. Lucifer will reward her for her loyalty. She'll be free soon enough. That is the only thing that matters.
She walks to the window opens it and with a few good shoves she pushes out the screen to make her escape easier. She hears Anna call her name and when she turns back towards the bed she's startled to see the door cracked open and Anna standing close with only a few small feet between them. "Ah! Geeze! I didn't even hear you come in. You should get a bell or something."
"Sorry," Anna laughs, "my mom always did say I was light on my feet."
Anna stares at her a beat longer than she's comfortable with and she begins to feel agitated again. "Is there something you needed?"
"I thought you might like someone with you, when you... go." She makes it sound so final. Ruby doesn’t want to think about that at all.
"Not really, no," Ruby says. “It’s probably not something you want to watch anyway.”
"Ruby," Anna says softly, "I’m not afraid of you. You saved my life." With that Anna smiles at her so sincerely again that Ruby almost believes it.
She'd been in hell and feared by so many, for so long that she'd forgotten what it was like for someone to have full and complete faith in her. "Ok, fine," she agrees feeling suddenly self conscious of her every move. Walking around to the side of the bed she glance around. "Just sit over there by the dresser," she says pointing to a chair as she sits on the tiny bed and pulls her legs up.
Anna pulls the chair next to the dresser out and moves it next to the bed before Ruby has a chance to protest, so she doesn't and just lays her head back, places her hands flat onto the bare mattress and closes her eyes. In the stillness and quiet she can feel the fear coming off Anna again. Figures, she thinks bitterly. A flash of sadness turns to anger within her and she can't escape fast enough.
As she starts uncurl herself from the body an unfamiliar and unexpected spark of warmth touches her hand and squeezes. The reassuring touch from Anna takes her by surprise and she lingers a moment when her consciousness has fully separated. She can sense Anna now more than ever. A powerful energy surrounds her like nothing she's ever known before but, it's not fear at all. She doesn't have time to figure it out now. All she knows is Anna Milton must be something even more special than any of them had originally imagined.