fannishliss

The feeling was intense and incredible. Dean's awareness of the outside world receded. He could feel the blood rushing through the body's veins; he could hear the heart pounding, the breath pulsing in and out. Then Ruby pushed him deeper and all he could sense was her. Her essence, demonic and powerful. Dean tensed in horror, prepared to drown and choke in the slime of her corruption, but it wasn't that way at all--just an overwhelming pleasure and appreciation of Ruby's power that intensified until he forgot he'd been afraid.

She began to sing. It wasn't a song human ears could've heard. It reminded Dean vaguely of Jimmy Page -- maybe he was a magus after all, Dean thought randomly. The song keened out of her essence into his, and he felt himself resonate in harmony with it. Every pulse of the keening slipped deeper into him, till his spirit and Ruby's were fully aligned, slipping past and through one another in an intertwining dance. The feeling of her power alerted him to his own, as tentatively, he pushed back at her.

God, it was like fucking, like sinking so sweetly into the tightest hole. Dean's spirit came alive -- he pulsed and slid against her, and she coalesced around him, so strong, so dark, so alive with desires. Her caresses built against him as her spirit sang until they hung quivering against one another, the body around them shuddering with pleasure.

Eventually their spirits drew apart. Dean felt the body draw a shaky breath, and utter relaxation spread peacefully through him.

Is that.. like.. the Dance? Dean asked Ruby silently.

That... was fucking incredible, Ruby answered fervently.

Dean actually laughed--Ruby's laugh was a delightful sound.

I'm not sure.... I think... since you're not a demon.... that's why it was so.... Ruby hazarded.

Nah, Dean thought, you like me. It's always better that way.   It's not like that with Sam?

No, Ruby said. She'd drawn back, and Dean imagined a chill. Sam doesn't Dance.

But he told me...

No, Dean. Forget it.

Dean reached out, stroked her lightly. He felt the love she held for Sam, the way it wasn't mutual.

I'm sorry, Dean said, and he meant it.

Ruby called a limo and they went down to the parking garage. The wait wasn't long, and soon, Ruby and Dean were headed off the Strip out toward the new suburbs east of the city.

The drive took just about half an hour in the late evening traffic, and they pulled up outside a gated private home and grounds. Ruby got out of the limo and signed the receipt, and they walked in through a side gate.

Dean stayed down low and let Ruby do the walking.   She'd told him not to make a peep, and it was a good plan.

Ruby let herself in the front door, punching the entry code into the lock -- 830502. Dean felt her sigh with relief as she stepped across the threshhold into the house. No salt lines of course, but runes of protection were painted boldly on the lintels and the windowsills, warding off violent attack.

Dean startled as a handsome, dark-haired young man--no, scratch that, the dude was fucking gorgeous-- entered the foyer.

"Peace be with you, Ruby," the young man said, and kissed Ruby gently on the cheek.

"Garnet, the peace of the Lake be also with you," Ruby said, and returned the kiss. "How is the Dance tonight, brother?"

"Strong, my sister," the young man said. "Several more penitents arrived today, and Sam is pleased with their progress."

"How many are with you right now?" Ruby asked, and Dean wondered what she meant.

"Oh, Ruby -- you know we are Legion!" Garnet laughed, his green eyes twinkling, but he held out his hands to Ruby, palms up.

With a silent warning to Dean to stay low, Ruby lightly pressed her palms to the man's.

Dean's spirit shuddered as he grew aware of the turmoil of spirits within the man's body. The body, like Ruby's, held no human spirit, but Dean struggled to muffle his alarm as he sensed the number of demons -- but at least they were as peaceful as Ruby had promised.

"You yearn for the Dance, Garnet, you and your guests," Ruby said, gently.

"Of course, Ruby--we all do, right?"

Dean was intensely curious about this demonic friend of Ruby's and the Legion riding inside him, but so far beneath Ruby's veiling essence, his hunter's instincts were muted. It was like peering out through rippled glass. If eyes were mirrors of the soul, he couldn't risk looking out too plainly.

"Where's Sam?" Ruby asked, causing Dean a painful surge of expectation. Three years almost since he'd last seen his brother.

"Out on the back patio, I think.   He and Opal were working with the new Dancers today, and he wanted some quiet before midnight."

Ruby nodded. Dean felt a little in the dark, but kept low and silent as Ruby had warned as Garnet and Ruby moved into the next room, where low flute music was playing quietly from hidden speakers.

The room looked like it had once been an ostentatious great room, with its high ceiling and large windows looking out over Lake Las Vegas. The floor was hardwood, polished to a sheen.   A mandala several yards in diameter had been painted in a dozen gemstone hues, blooming on the floor like a lotus.

Across the mandala glided men and women, each as beautiful as Garnet, ceremonially dancing. Their faces were serene, their bodies relaxed.   They moved in a pattern, interweaving, touching palms as they passed each other.   Dean was reminded of an old movie of Romeo and Juliet he'd seen on TV once, except the dancers were dressed in loose black pants and shirts that left their arms bare. Their black silk slippers whispered softly as they moved around the floor.

Garnet moved into the dance and the other dancers seamlessly moved aside as he entered the pattern. Dean watched through Ruby's eyes as his slippered feet traced a pattern on the mandala, dragging smoothly along the interweaving lines. Dean thought of the demons riding within the handsome body, how numberless they seemed, and how there were nearly a dozen dancers here tracing the mandala, yet the atmosphere was calm and serene, the dance gentle and sedate.

Ruby took off her jacket and went back to hang it in the foyer, then went upstairs to get a pair of slippers from one of the bedrooms. When she came back down she was dressed like all the other dancers, down to the solitaire gem on a chain around her neck.

Almost midnight, she silently warned Dean. Then the door to the back patio opened, and in strode Sam.

Dean remembered how after he'd come back from Hell, his first sight of Sam, safe and whole, had filled him with an overwhelming sense of relief. It was the same this time, but worse, as Ruby moved forward to embrace her king.

"The Peace of the Lake be with you, Ruby," Sam said, and kissed her chastely on the cheek.

Dean struggled to keep his spirit from swarming up at Sam, breathing in his scent, crushing his brother's big, strong body in his arms, but he'd left his own body back at the Luxor, and Dean was always torn by these same contradictory urges -- remembering the tender softness of his baby brother, the fine sweet smell of the top of his head, and his pride and respect for the man his brother had become -- all crowded into a confused mass of love in his heart -- now tempered with sorrow and fear at the divide the war had wrought between them, so that he hid beneath the blackened spirit of a demon, who was now his brother's beloved disciple.

She was answering for them, her voice pleasant and warm, "and also with you, my Lord," and Dean couldn't detect even a hint of irony in the title.

Sam's face was still, his voice strong but weirdly calm. Dean could see what Ruby meant when she said that Sam was different. He was used to Sam's brilliant mind, his chaotic moods, darting from puzzle to puzzle, sometimes brooding, but always alive with feeling. This new Sam was damped down. He seemed to glide about the room, greeting his followers pleasantly, but he was detached.

Sam had greeted everyone. The dancers had momentarily stilled.

"Peace be with you," Sam said, raising his hands to them in blessing.

"And also with you," they all intoned, bowing slightly.

"Three new penitents have joined us today, and one unreformed one has been released," Sam said.

"Thanks be to you, Lord," the demons all said.

"Remember always the Peace of the Dance. Turn from the sins that made you what you are, and purify your spirits in love and peace," Sam intoned.

"By your mercy, Lord," they answered.

Dean was enthralled as Ruby devoutly answered, her head bowed slightly like the others. He felt utter sincerity from her, and could see the same in the faces and attitudes all around him. It was unnerving, to say the least, to see the demons worshipping his brother so devoutly.

"Flow in the dance unfettered then," Sam said, and he went to a large, ornate chair -- almost a throne -- at the end of the room.

Dean was unprepared for what happened next.

Six men and six women, including Ruby, had linked hands, forming a circle around the mandala. Then, they tilted their heads back, and silently, demon spirits began to pour out. It was weird to see them pour out so silently, without their hosts screaming in torment. These demons slipped gently out and sank to the floor in an undulating mass. The mandala quickly filled within the circle of the dancers' linked hands, the cloud of demons deepening to rise up within the pool they had made. Then the dancers dropped hands, and as they moved back toward the walls of the great room, the pool of demonic spirits spread till the dancers seemed to be wading ankle deep in a shimmering black lake.

The Lake, Dean realized, was a sea of repentant demons, hiding here from the rest of the world within the shelter his brother had made. He was stunned, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.

Once all the demons had spilled out onto the floor, there was a pause. The host bodies ranged around the room were still animated, single spirits dwelling within. Dean remembered how Sam had required Ruby to obtain a host with no human spirit within, and he supposed that Sin City was a place where the young and beautiful with poor risk assessment came to end their lives in riot -- how many young dancers had OD'd in this town in the past three years? At least eleven, Dean thought, looking around.

The music from the speakers faded away, and Dean heard a low, keening sound. He struggled for a second to place where he'd heard it before, and realized it was the same kind of song Ruby had sung to him when she had Danced with him back at the Luxor.

The Dancers, ranged about the room, all sang, intoning the soft, wordless sounds. The surface of the Lake began to ripple, the demons flowing from place to place in time with the pulsations of the strange, low song.

This went on for a time. Dean felt half-hypnotized by the song, hearing Ruby's voice crooning all around him in tune with the others. He was slightly startled when he felt her move, as she stepped forward into the sea of demons.

He forcibly restrained his panic as the countless demon spirits flowed about Ruby's ankles as she spiraled back to the center of the room. The demons parted softly around Ruby's feet, roiling and sparking with energy.

In the middle of the mandala Ruby stopped and gravely bowed to each Dancer, intoning, "The Peace of the Lake be with you." Each in turn replied, "We are Legion, made one, and will keep this Peace," and the demons in the Lake rose and fell serenely.

After Ruby had greeted each of her fellow dancers, she beckoned to two beautiful dancers, a man and woman, and called them by name, "Diamond, Emerald"-- Diamond was a well-muscled African-american man with long dreads pulled back in a bunch, and Emerald, a tall woman with long, riotous red curls and strong, raw-boned beauty. The two spiraled in from opposite sides of the room as Ruby had done, then the three of them called the next three Dancers, Pearl (a delicate blonde in a pixie cut, reminding Dean uncomfortably of Meg, but without her sneer), Sapphire, a tall man with striking blue eyes, and Opal, a slender Asian boy. Dean was struck by the paradox of their physical human beauty contrasted to the horrors of the demon faces he remembered from his time in Hell. Perhaps they intended to beautify themselves from the outside in.

The six dancers then in the mandala moved gracefully through a complicated figure, then each called a dancer of the opposite sex toward them. Ruby called Garnet, and five more Dancers came forward to join their partners, each wearing their namesake gem.   They danced for a moment with their partners, executing turns and falls, almost like something out of disco, thought Dean in slight amusement, but more stately. Then the first six Dancers bowed and left the mandala, going to Sam and sitting at his feet.

All this time Dean's brother had watched, expressionless, relaxed in his throne-like chair, overseeing the Dance and saying nothing.

Ruby sat down on the floor at Sam's right hand, Diamond at his left, the other four ranged before him, facing the Dancers still in the mandala. Once the first six were seated, Sam again spoke.

"Dancers, will you spread my word?"

"Yes, Lord, with your blessing," Ruby and her fellows responded strongly.

"And Dancers, will you do our work?"

"Yes, Lord, with your blessing," answered the Dancers remaining in the mandala.

"Take up the burden, legions, and dance as one," Sam said.

The Lake pulsed violently and began to swirl in a clockwise motion, as though spinning down toward the mandala. Dean watched in mingled horror and astonishment as the demon Lake coalesced and rose up, and the Dancers opened their arms wide, their heads thrown back and mouths wide open, and the demons poured swiftly back into the hosts.

The six, once they'd swallowed their comrades, again began the slow, tracing movements on the mandala that Dean had seen when he'd first entered the house.

"Brothers and sisters, Dance in the Peace of the Lake. And you, go forth in Peace, to do our work," Sam said, and with that he rose and left the room, presumably to go upstairs for the night.

Ruby watched him go, and Dean watched from inside her, and he felt the commonality of their sadness and longing. Evidently, Sam had done a great thing here with the Lake, but at what cost to who he really was? Expending such power to hide so many demons, Sam had almost completely turned within, only registering Ruby and the others as faithful servants, and not engaging with them otherwise.

Dean wondered if Sam ever woke up, or if he'd walked about always in this dreamlike state for the past three years, while Dean had fought with the Angels to save the world from the purposeless destruction Lilith had intended for it and for everyone.

Yet, while Dean had seen so many die, more than he cared to tally by his own hand, Sam had indeed been at work with his demon powers, forging a refuge for demons who had turned away from evil, away from Hell. Sam had the power to destroy those unwilling to live by his rule, and those who followed him understood the benefits of their newly constrained yet secure existence. Like religious, they'd traded many freedoms for redemption, for purification, while those who left Sam's side to "do his work," as Ruby did, served as beacons for demons who sought Sam as their saviour, but could not find him directly because of the power he channelled to hide them all.

Dean had much to ponder as the limo arrived to take them back to the Luxor.

Dean had seen Sam, yet really hadn't seen him at all. Sam was shoved almost as far down deep as Dean had been, hiding inside Ruby.    Dean knew that he would need to draw Sam out, to speak to him face to face, to prove to Castiel that Sam was no threat. He knew in his heart that Sam was doing good, not evil, by giving these demons a chance for peace. But what if Sam woke up? Would the Lake be sustained on its own, without his support?

All these thoughts chased themselves around in Dean's head, till suddenly he was back in his own body in the room at the Luxor, Ruby turning out the light, and lying quietly next to him on the California King -- more than enough room in the bed that they did not touch all night.

When Dean opened his eyes the next morning, Ruby was sitting in the strong morning sun coming through the windows looking out over the strip.

"Pretty good coffee," she said, so Dean roused himself and joined her with a cup by the window.

"What I don't get is what you're doing out here, why you don't stay at the house. You all got your groovy commune thing going there-- like, Church of All Worlds?"

"I grok Sam, don't you, brother?" Ruby replied, face all solemn, then she laughed at Dean's expression.

"Ha ha, Dean! Your face!" Ruby laughed.

"No, seriously," Dean said. "If the Dance, like, calms demons down, or whatever, then why don't you all dance all the time?"

"Well, those of us who go out, to find the demons who are trying to find Sam-- the Dance is already inside us. Eventually we'll all be able to venture outside the cavern, but most need to stay at the Lake and haven't gotten that far yet -- they need the practice to coexist peacefully without the Dance. That's why we Dance with them sometimes in bodies and sometimes loose. Eventually, they're able to travel, alone, or together in a body without the Dance."

"Like that guy, Garnet, right?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded, "Garnet's in control, but legions ride with him. It's kind of, you know, pleasant," she added, somewhat shyly.

"That's another thing I don't get-- how can demons be pleasant? They're pure evil, right? But riding with you, that wasn't just pleasant, if you don't mind me saying."

"Thanks, Dean. You're right, that was way better than pleasant." Ruby shot Dean a smile he'd never seen before on her --- a real smile with that reached all the way to her warm brown eyes. Ruby was in an even better mood than she had been yesterday, before they had gone to the Lake. She was relaxed and her manner was trusting, open. "It's good between demons, but not that good. But dude, pure evil? --don't you know better than that? You were in hell, on your way to being a demon. You know that most of us started out as human spirits, just like you."

Dean had to think about that.

"The things they made me do, in Hell, I can hardly talk about it even now. Eons of that? I don't know. I just... I don't know how you could ever recover from that, what it would make you into.   I mean, demons like Lilith? Azazel? I'd say pure evil about sums it up. But I've met a few that seemed different. Like you..."

"I don't know, Dean. I do know some come to us, even penitents, a lot meaner and angrier than others. Maybe how we ended up in hell in the first place makes a difference, but most of us can't remember, you know-- it's the thing they try hardest to rip out..." Ruby looked at him with empathy in her eyes.

Dean found himself wanting to talk with someone who'd been through it. It had always hurt too bad before, but now, somehow, he could open up to Ruby. "I never forgot Sammy, even when, what I did... though God knows it hurt like a bitch knowing I'd ever been so stupid to think I'd be able to outlast Hell.... god damned crazy, you know..."

"I know, Dean. I've been there," Ruby said.

"Do you mind my asking.." Dean asked, gently.

"I don't remember," Ruby said, pretty evenly. "But sometimes, I think... I think it might've been my sister..."

"You know we're not so different, you and I," quoted Dean, with a grin.

"Yeah, hey," Ruby smiled, and offered her fist, so Dean gave a pound.

"I never wanted to hurt people... to keep on hurting them. Demons I've met, up here, most always, they're out to make people suffer. I just can't see what Sam is offering that keeps that demonic urge down."

Ruby looked contemplative. "It's such an extreme contrast from Hell, the peacefulness of it, the beauty.... and the quiet. You know all our bodies meet Sam's approval, right?"

"Yeah, I got that. Even before the Witnesses, and the real Meg, you know, Sam had a problem with you riding whoever."

"Yeah, so in these bodies, there's no one screaming. And at the Lake, every demon wants to be made new, so everyone's quiet, even the ones still angry and hurting. And they even learn to sing...it's melancholy, but beautiful. You realize Sam destroys a lot of the demons who come to him, right?"

Dean nodded, following her apparent change of topic. "Castiel told me something like that."

"Those are the ones who come, not just angrier, but looking just to serve themselves instead of Hell. The demons who choose to follow Sam hate the things they did in Hell. Didn't you ever wonder why it wasn't worse after the Devil's gate opened? Most of us who got out were just desperate to escape. I never worked my way out of Hell, I escaped, and I went for the knife."

"How did you even know about the knife?"

Ruby gave him her old look of disgust. "Dude, I made it. I traded my soul for the power to kill demons--I remember that much. Of course it didn't save me from dying of the plague... I remember a lot of what I knew as a witch-- I guess that was stuff Hell wanted me to know."

Dean nodded. "But what do we do now? I mean, I saw Sam, and I know he's doing the right thing, but what do I tell Cas?"

"Why do you need to tell him anything?" Ruby asked.

Dean thought about that. He'd thought he was done with the wars. He'd had no guarantee he'd ever see Sam again. Now he knew where Sam was, and that he was safe. But that wasn't all they had to worry about. Dean frowned.

"What about you, and the others that Sam sends out? Aren't you only hidden when you're at the Lake?"

"We take our chances. We've been counting on the war to make us lower priority for the Angels, and as for the nastier demons, that's part of our job, to lure them to Sam."

Dean breathed out in a huff. "Tricky business."

"We owe our lives to Sam. We're his apostles. Any who are destroyed in his service -- we have faith that we're dying for the right reasons this time."

"Faith. That's a hard one. Especially when the Angels are on the other side."

"We're not on a side, Dean. Sam sat this one out. If anything he's made the Angels' job that much easier, thinning the ranks of Lilith's potential allies. They ought to thank him and leave him alone!"

Ruby's eyes flashed with anger, and Dean remembered that she was still demon, even though her good side was stronger than he'd ever guessed possible.

"Absolutely," Dean agreed. "But I've got to make a report to Castiel that'll get the Angels off Sam's back."

"Sam's work is nearly finished," Ruby said, her eyes lowered, recovering her calm. "Lilith is dead, and most of the demons who made it out of Hell have already chosen sides. There's no way to know for sure, but I've seen the number of new penitents slow to a trickle in the last few months."

"What do you mean, Sam's work is finished. What about the, uh, cavern?"

"Sam hid us all by himself at first, but now, with the Dance, and so many of us working together, we ought to be able to do it ourselves. At this point, Sam is more of a focal point. He's our King."

"And you love him," Dean said.

"I never thought I'd know again what that word meant, but yes. I'd do anything for Sam. Including let him go." Ruby looked up at Dean, and he could see the love and the sorrow in her eyes. Love in the eyes of a demon -- Sam really had wrought a miracle.

"You know, I never really thanked you, for everything. Without you, Sam never would have made it. I owe you so much."

Ruby smiled. "Remember that when Castiel asks for your report."

Dean nodded.

Ruby leaned forward. "No one knows that I let you ride in, but I asked Emerald to let me know if we bring in a bad one. I think it's important you witness a trial. You'll see how it all goes down, and then you can bear witness on our behalf."

"Right. I think Castiel expects that," Dean said.

"I'll be back when I have news," Ruby said. Surprisingly, she leaned forward. "Peace be with you, brother," she whispered, and kissed Dean lightly on the lips.

Dean covered his shock and returned her kiss, responding sincerely, "The Peace of the Lake be always with you, sister." Ruby smiled and left.

Dean thought it was nice to have a sister after all.

He spent the next several days at the tables, Texas hold'em. It wasn't pool, but Dean made a tidy sum. He'd always loved Vegas, and he charmed the lady tourists like in the old days, the way he'd done once or twice before the wars. It never ceased to amaze him, how close the world had come to ending, and the world hadn't even noticed.

He half-expected Castiel to turn up, but he didn't. Dean thought maybe the Angel was providing a diversion; if so, he was grateful. Uriel, no fan of the Winchesters, had been lost in the final battle with Lilith, but there were other Angels of Castiel's rank suspicious of Dean and Sam. So Dean had nothing to do but gamble and drink, eat at the round the clock buffets, swim a little in the Luxor's pool, and he even got a massage at the day spa. Hey, if he was on his brother's unholy dime, he might as well live it up while he had the chance.

Dean was in the pool when Ruby left a message. He scanned the text, pulled on his clothes and hurried back to his room.

Ruby was waiting impatiently.

"Drink," she said, thrusting a glass at him.

"Ok, geez," he said, "at least let me sit down." He got on the bed and downed the potion. The transition this time was much less disorienting, since he'd spent so long in Ruby's body the time before.

He brushed up against her in greeting and she returned the caress, drawing back gently. No time for that now. They were back at the Lake within an hour.

By daylight, the transition into Sam's domain was more abrupt. Harsh Vegas sun shone down on the xeriscaped grounds around the lakeside house. The pool side faced Lake Las Vegas, the small lake west of Lake Meade, around which these luxury houses had been built. The dry hills of the desert circled the horizon all around them, and the sky overhead was cloudless desert blue.

Dean was travelling closer to the surface, feeling like he knew more what to expect. So this time he felt it as they stepped across the threshold into the house.

There was a palpable sense of coolness. Before, he'd taken it for the ubiquitous Vegas temperature differential, stepping from 117 in the shade to an icy, air-conditioned 65.   This time, he could tell that the coolness was internal. It felt like shade, like moonlight on the soul. It was the aura of the cavern Sam had built, surrounding the demons and keeping them safe.

You felt it that time, Ruby said.

Yeah, Dean returned.

Nice, isn't it.

Dean had to agree. Hell wasn't made of fire and brimstone, but demons did leave traces of sulphur because of their affinity with the choking, volcanic fumes.   The coolness had to be a relief for the demons here.

Keanu, Dean said -- his name means the coolness in Hawaiian.

Random much? You know the weirdest things, Dean, I swear, Ruby rejoined.

As soon as they entered the great room, Dean froze inside Ruby as he spotted the rogue demon, darting angrily around the heads of Sam's apostles.

Sam sat on his throne at the end of the room. His face was peaceful, but his eyes were closed in concentration, and his hands tightly gripped the arms of the chair.

The six Dancers stood in the mandala with their arms locked together at the elbows, and out of their throats came the eerie, melancholic demon singing. Dean felt the song, dark and heavy though it was, uplifting the Dancers, supporting their unity like a granite tower.

Dean cringed, pretty much helpless, as the rogue demon, noticing them, darted at Ruby.

Sam's eyes opened, and his hand flew up, halting the demon where it was.

The demon seemed to shrink into itself, forming a pulsing sphere.

Dean looked on in horror as one of Sam's apostles stepped up toward the angrily pulsating demon. It was Opal, who Dean remembered had been helping Sam with the new dancers earlier.

Opal reached out toward the demon and cupped it in his hands. It was a strange sight to see the slight Asian boy in his black Dancer's clothes, reaching up toward the demonic ball, hovering in the air like a blackened sun.

"You have disturbed the Lake, and you will be judged," Sam said.

Opal spoke for the demon. "It says it has no intention of submitting to the judgment of a weak hybrid pawn."

"You must repent or you will be destroyed," Sam told the furious spirit.

At this the demon gave a mighty lurch and slipped from Opal's grip, darting at Sam, who frowned in surprise, but instantly the apostles turned their attention to it, and all of them together subdued it again.

Dean, down deep, Ruby warned. Shocked at the severity in her thoughts, Dean quickly obeyed.

"Be judged then by your peers," Sam said, and averted his face.

The apostles surrounded the demon and reached toward it as it shrank even more tightly in on itself. They lay their twelve hands upon the pulsating cloud.

As Ruby's hand touched the demon, Dean heard the all too familiar wrenching screams of Hell. The demon writhed in fury, promising torments and revenge upon all who touched it.    Dean shrank in horror, too close to the furious spirit, and terrified how the apostles might respond. He had a horrible vision of them tearing it to bits and devouring it -- a scene he'd witnessed many times in Hell, and eventually, taken part in himself.

The demons tightened their grip on the offending demon.

Ruby spoke, "Lord, we find it wanting. It must be cast into the Lake of fire."

"So be it," Sam decreed, and for a split second Dean felt the coolness that had pervaded all around spike towards heat.

Dean felt Ruby's power as she focused it on the demon, and the other Apostles seemed to be doing the same. The demonic sphere shone with a light that grew quickly to a blinding brilliance, then faded away to nothing.

"Kyrie eleison," Sam intoned.

Lord have mercy, Dean translated to himself.

"Christe eleison," the demons replied, their eyes all solid black, their faces solemn.

"Kyrie eleison," Sam repeated.

The dancers in the mandala relaxed their defensive stance, and began the tracing movements Dean had seen before.

We'll stay for the dance tonight, Ruby told him.

Good, Dean responded, and realized wonderingly how much he looked forward to it.

The next morning found Dean and Ruby back in Las Vegas proper, and Ruby took Dean out for breakfast to a wonderful pancake house. Dean was in heaven with the light, fluffy pancakes, the thick maple syrup, and the bottomless cup of strong black coffee.

Dean and Ruby made small talk over the pancakes. Dean told stories about the war, his voice low, and surprised himself by the grin that took over as he related one or two of their victories. They laughed over Dean's anecdotes of clashes between the Angels' naivete and the customs of their Hunter allies.

Ruby told how she and Sam had come to Las Vegas, how they'd begun to gather the penitents, how they'd acquired the bodies: strange how tales of human tragedy were transformed as the demons found peace in the beautiful bodies their original human spirits had abandoned.

Ruby told Dean about her scheme to train the Apostles as Hunter allies. Dean thought it was too risky, but Ruby's plans were sly.

"Remember when I first appeared to Sam, how I'd suddenly show up out of nowhere and save his ass?"

"Yeah," Dean said, "You saved my ass too, a couple of times as I recall -- and only once did it involve asswater."

"Hey, I've got asswater for many occasions. Also, horseshit," Ruby joked, and Dean gave her a tolerant smile.

"I don't want to know!" he said.

"We could suddenly appear and save Hunters, all hand of God-- in fact we could train our penitents, as they get stronger, to go out in bodies to do good deeds of all kinds. And Topaz had a theory that we could possess human monsters, and maybe reform them somehow."

"That seems hard," Dean said. "A lot of them are sick, not evil. It might be more of a torment to the penitent demon than a help to the human."

"Just an idea," Ruby said, between homefries. "We're still thinking it out."

"What does Sam think of it?"

Ruby looked up. "Sam doesn't know. He'll be gone before that happens."

Dean was disturbed by this sudden idea. "Do you have a timeline you haven't let me in on?"

Ruby poked at the food on her plate, took a sip of her chocolate shake.

"The trial you saw convinced me. We stopped that demon cold, and that was all us. We blessed it out of existence."

"But I thought Sam--"

"Sam is a natural, and we had to learn. In the old days, when I was first training him, he destroyed demons with a witch's curse -- of course I didn't tell him that's what it was, he just saw that he could do it and that it worked. When he came into his power at the Lake, he saw that blessing the demons who defied him was much more effective at dispelling them from this plane of existence than cursing them -- curses being, in effect, what they're made of. Now we can do it too. It's much more effective than eating them."

Dean looked at her in horror, not sure if she was joking.

"Dude, you were practically screaming it," Ruby laughed, but then her eyes grew serious. "I'm sorry you ever went to Hell, Dean. I told Sam a long time ago, it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"Yeah," Dean coughed, uncomfortably. "Listen, Ruby, when the time comes... how can we get to Sam? When his work is done, how do we, whatever, wake him up?"

"The Dance," Ruby answered, solemn again. She looked down and away from Dean.

"But Sam's not a demon--how can he Dance?"

"The same way you Dance with me," Ruby said. "The potion."

"I'm glad," Dean said. "I'm glad you'll get to Dance with him, at least once."

"Not me, Dean. You. You have to Dance with Sam if you're ever going to take him home."

Dean was shocked. "What? I don't get it. If I'm not a demon, and Sam isn't, how?"

Ruby looked hard at Dean. "You ride me in, and I serve at Sam's meal. He still needs to eat, you know. I slip him the potion, and he rides in -- then I sink down deep and you wake him up."

"Ruby, no way. There are like five million holes in that plan. Why don't I just walk in?"

"You can't, Dean. You don't know what it would do to the Lake, to be tempted like that with your spirit, your body. They'd swarm all over you in a heartbeat."

Dean nearly panicked at the thought of it. "Right, ok. Scratch that."

"You ride me in, just like before. Then you make contact with Sam, in my body."

"What about the others? Won't they react when they feel Sam slip?"

"They've been taking more of the weight of the cavern on their shoulders. If we do it right at noon, when Sam's power is weakest, they probably won't notice."

Dean looked at Ruby, worry written all over his face. This was a terrible plan.

"Just trust me, Dean, ok? It'll be all right."

"When do we move?" Dean said.

"Tomorrow, I think; I have to set it up."

"Wow. That's soon," Dean answered.

"It needs to be soon," Ruby said.

"Yes, it does," a stranger interrupted them.

Ruby's eyes went black in shock as a man sat down in the booth with them.

"Castiel!" Dean said.

"I trust you are nearing success in your mission," Castiel said precisely. He did not acknowledge Ruby, but kept his eyes trained on Dean.

"Yeah, it's going well, it's all good," Dean stuttered.

"Do you have a preliminary report about Sam?" Castiel said, leaning in toward Dean.

That was the thing about Castiel--always leaning in to Dean's personal space. He'd asked the Angel about it once, and Castiel had explained that he liked to breathe in as Dean breathed out. Kind of freaky to Dean, but whatever. No matter the body, Castiel always smelled like roses.

Dean had never learned to hold the Angel's gaze. It was just too knowing. Castiel had pulled Dean out of hell -- he knew all the things Dean had done there. Yet Castiel was the instrument of God's grace -- saving Dean, whether Dean believed he deserved it or not. Dean had to believe that Castiel could understand that what Sam was offering to the demons was surely something similar.

"Sam’s good," Dean began casually, but Castiel cut him off.

"Your brother is their King, a prince of Hell, heir to the archfiend Azazel. He could even become Antichrist. We need to know his plans."

Dean's jaw dropped in shock. Castiel had never stated things so plainly before. Dean struggled to gather his wits. He answered the Angel honestly, as Ruby sat, head lowered, on the other side of the booth.

"Sam has a lot of demons, but they're all peaceful. He's not trying to train up an army, I swear to that. I promise you, Sam's nothing you should worry about. How can you say...”   Dean glanced up at Castiel as his voice dropped to a whisper.

Ruby interrupted, her eyes fully black. "He is our King, Dean. You know he is. He united us, saved us when no one else would."

"I acknowledge your testimony, Ruby, and thank you," Castiel said with surprising courtesy.

Ruby nodded, face pale, eyes once again lowered.

Impulsively, Dean nudged her foot under the table, hoping to give her some comfort. She pressed it back.

"The seals are restored and my brothers have detected no demons loose in the world. Our work here is nearly complete, but we need to account for Sam Winchester. Bring him to me, Dean, and the war will be over."

"Yeah, ok," Dean said, and Castiel was gone as swiftly as he had arrived.

Ruby and Dean breathed out heavily in unison.

"Holy Christ, he's intense," Ruby gasped in relief.

"Try working with him," Dean muttered in agreement.

"He's going to let us live," Ruby breathed.

"He's letting you stay in hiding," Dean agreed.

"Holy Christ," Ruby said again, and this time, her eyes did go black.

Dean and Ruby met again at the Luxor the next morning. Quickly, Dean took the potion and rode with Ruby to the Lake. The peace inside the house was plain to Dean now, serene and beautiful.

Ruby went in to Sam. He was seated in the throne room, observing the newer penitents as they danced from body to body. Reluctantly the spirits tried to cling to their hosts, but as they practiced, their movement became freer, as they learned they had nothing to fear.

"My Lord," Ruby said, and knelt before Sam.

"Peace be with you, Ruby," Sam absently responded.

"And also with you, my Lord," Ruby said. After a bit, she added, "My Lord, I’m troubled. I ask your blessing."

Sam seemed to rouse a bit at this request. "What's wrong, Ruby? Why are you worried?"

"I'm worried about the Angels, Lord," Ruby replied with honesty. "The wars outside are nearly over, and they will soon turn their attention to you. I fear for you and the Lake, my Lord," she said.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Sam smiled gently. "The Dance is strong. The peace is deep, and the Cavern holds. The Dancers rebuild it, stronger every day. Can't you feel the Peace of the Lake?"

Dean looked up into his brother's eyes. Sam was blissed out, in a trance three years in the making. The power he'd poured into building this haven had wiped him out-- the threats he'd conquered had left him with the sense that he was untouchable. It was nice to see Sam relaxed and unworried, but Dean knew his brother was only half awake. He couldn't leave him here, a sacrifice to what he had done for the demons. Besides, now Sam's presence was more of a threat to the Lake than it would be for him to leave it-- the Angels had to be satisfied. The Dancers could fend for themselves now, Ruby was sure of it. Especially since they'd learned from Castiel that no more rogue demons roamed free.

"Thank you, my Lord. May I serve your meal? I'd like to request your blessing, alone."

"Certainly, Ruby. What time is it?"

Ruby answered, "It's nearly noon, Lord."

Sam smiled vaguely in response, and rose from his throne, leading the way to the dining room.

Ruby went into the kitchen to serve Sam the meal that had been prepared, some hearty soup, very strongly spiced with garlic and peppers. She had hidden a flask of potion in her boot, and she poured it into Sam's ornate cup.

Sam hardly tastes his food. It's sad really, she told Dean silently.

She served Sam the spicy soup, and Sam didn't seem to notice it, eating mechanically. After he finished, he gestured to Ruby, who had stood by his side through the meal, holding the drink.

"My cup," he said, and Ruby handed him the chalice.

Sam's nose wrinkled slightly as he lifted the cup, but he drank it all without a qualm.

Ruby caught the chalice as it fell from his hand, and placed his hands on her shoulders as she knelt before him, eyes closed. Someone looking on would think she knelt in supplication, but in reality she held Sam's limp body in the chair, his head dropped down, unconscious, but seemingly in a pose of benediction.

Dean swarmed up to meet Sam's spirit, pulling him deep, away from distractions.

Sammy, he cried, love for his brother overpowering him.   Sam's spirit was strong and bright, but distracted, unfocused. The brothers’ spirits clung together, but the feeling, though sweet, was muted by Sam’s disconnection.

Dean? What happened? Ruby! Did she betray....?

Dean felt Ruby cringe at Sam's confused responses.

Of course not, Sam, you're safe, but you've got to wake up, Dean implored.

What? I'm awake—but what’s going on? Sam’s answer was no more focused, but he was getting agitated, the warm glow of his spirit igniting into flames.

Dean tried to soothe his brother, but Sam shook him off.    Dean, tell me what’s going on? Sam insisted. Even out of it, he knew enough to be stubborn with his brother.

Dean wasn’t strong enough alone to shake him out of it.

Ruby, Dean called, help me!

Ruby was high in the body, keeping up the facade they’d arranged. Dean felt her reluctance. It’s not my place, she whispered.

Ruby, come on! He needs you!

But he doesn’t love me the way he does you! Ruby mourned. The demonic anguish flared up in her spirit.   If you only knew how much it hurts...

You’ve served him faithfully all this time—kept him whole—helped him build this place so you could all be safe--

Where are we, Dean? Sam interjected, puzzled. Why are you fighting? Keep the Peace... Sam’s powerful spirit reached out and gripped them both, pulling them close as he intoned, “The Peace of the Lake be always with you. Ruby, receive my blessing.”

Dean felt Ruby shudder as Sam breathed his love for Ruby, gently, deep into her demon soul. Her soul sang out in a moan of bliss, overcome by her love for Sam, and as she sang, their spirits pressed close together. Ruby, enraptured, reached out, and pulled Dean in.

The friendship and trust that had brought Dean and Ruby together in the Dance, was nothing compared to the love they each felt for Sam, and all these feelings flowed forth as they held Sam between them, surging against him. They pressed against Sam’s brilliant spirit, Ruby a swath of sparkling darkness, Dean a mixture of darkness and light, giving themselves over to his intoxicating power.

As Ruby sang, Dean sang with her, harmonies brightening the low tones of her song. As they sang, their spirits moved in time with Sam's, and with every moan and sigh, they brought him farther awake. As Sam’s soul arched, awakening under their touch, Dean nearly lost his mind from the pleasure. Ruby held Dean tight and their spirits intertwined as they sang, caressing Sam. Shuddering with tension, they contracted around him, and keening to feel Sam’s full power unleashed, Dean and Ruby roused him at last.

Awake, Sam's spirit pulsed with power, and he trained his attention on them.   Dean felt more than heard Sam say his name through the song, and he never could've imagined the awe he felt, face to face with the depth of Sam's love for him. He felt stripped bare as Sam's love thrust deep into his spirit -- love, respect, gratitude, longing-- all the things he’d felt without expecting them back in return. A cry ripped out of Dean’s soul, as his pain and isolation gave way before the joyful rush of unity with his brother.

They were down so deep in the body, Ruby shielding them all from detection as they danced, that it took a long time for them to surface. When they did, her heart was pounding and her body was covered with sweat, still twitching from the pleasures of the spirits within it.

Sam quickly slipped back into his own body, but he kept his hands on Ruby's shoulders, so she and Dean could feel his presence strongly.

Ruby's eyes opened at last, and she gasped. The apostles stood ranged all around them, ill at ease and growing hostile.

"Don't be afraid," Sam said out loud. "Ruby has set me free."

"What has she done, Lord?" Diamond asked. "We felt your power surge out into the Cavern, and realized you weren't holding it."

"I don't need to anymore," Sam answered, helping Ruby to her feet. "The Dance is self-sustaining now. You’re free now, and so am I."

"What do you mean? You're our king," Opal asked, frowning.

"I was your king, but I was also your slave.   Ruby and Dean set me free," Sam said, and noticed the start of surprise and alarm in his followers. "My brother Dean, who sided with the Angels, has come to bear witness on your behalf."

"Ruby betrayed us," Pearl said angrily. But Sam tightened his grip around Ruby.

"No, she didn't. Peace, my Pearl. She saved us all, me included. If she hadn't reached out to Castiel and Dean, the Angels would've battered their way into our Cavern to kill all of us.”

“What if they destroy us after you go?” Emerald asked.

“Castiel said the other Angels haven’t found us, and Ruby knew he’d trust Dean as a faithful witness on our behalf. The Angels will leave us alone. And besides, like I said, you don’t need me to hold the cavern anymore. You’re doing it fine on your own—so you’re safe. Now I need to go and meet with Castiel, so he can see for himself he has nothing to fear from us. Then the war can really be over."

The Apostles stood aside, uncertain, as Sam and Ruby walked to the door.

"Don't be afraid," Sam said. "You're strong. Remember what I've taught you. The Peace of the Lake be always with you."

The ritualistic response seemed to soothe the demons. "And also with you," they answered as one.

“You’ll always be able to find me,” Sam promised, and they left without further farewells.

They went back to Dean's room at the Luxor, where they found Castiel waiting.

As Dean opened his eyes in his own body again, he asked, "How do you always know where I am?"

"I am your Angel, Dean, and you are my charge." Castiel turned his gaze upon Sam.

"Sam Winchester, it's good to see you again." He held out his hands, and after hesitating, Sam took them.

"It's good to see you too, Castiel. I'm glad to see you made it ok through the wars," Sam said, as the Angel held onto his hands.

"Thanks in part to you, Sam. You made a significant impact on demon numbers --- don't think we didn't notice," Castiel said, his glare softer than usual.

Sam laughed. "Of course. You're welcome."

Dean looked at the Angel. "Then, is Sam free? You gonna let him go?"

"Yes, Dean. It was decided after your testimony." Castiel smiled slightly at Dean. "But I wanted to thank Sam in person, to see him with my own eyes, before I go home.   Thank you all, Sam, Dean, and Ruby -- you've brought the world new hope."

Castiel smiled fully then, and in a flash of light, he vanished.

"Dude, come here. You gonna lie there all day?" Sam pulled Dean to his feet and gave him a massive hug, which Dean gave back as good as he got. They reluctantly pulled apart, grinning stupidly at each other, then noticed Ruby hanging back.

“Ruby,” Sam said, his voice full of affection. They pulled her between them and rocked her there as tears rolled down her face.

“I didn’t think demons could cry,” Dean said.

“They can’t,” said Sam, “unless they’re reborn. Looks like you’re the first.”

Ruby smiled tearfully. “No, the second. Dean’s a regular waterworks.”

“Ah, shut your piehole,” Dean said, sniffing, and he sent a prayer of thanks to Castiel, wherever he was, for his own rebirth.