Knocking on the Devils Door {Simi Plotline}

[Simone Winchester]

God, she'd known this wasn't going to be easy but she felt as if she were walking on ice so thin that it would crack and send her plummeting to icy depths. One wrong misstep and her carefully erected shields would crumble into nothing and she'd be left battered and bleeding inside once more. If that happened... She was very afraid she'd be like the fabled egg in the story of Humpty Dumpty and all the kings horses and all the kings men wouldn't be able to put her back together again.

And then her brother was speaking. Telling her it wasn't her fault and that she had nothing to be sorry for. But Didn't she? She'd caused her family untold hurt and grief. She knew that they'd gone through hell after her disappearance and the shock of the truth must have been like a slap to the face. She'd only wanted to shield them but... She'd simply made matters worse.

However, for now, he was right. There were other things to deal with. She had no doubt Gregg would track her here and it was only a matter of time before he made his plans. Their advantage would be to take offensive actions and there was on sure fire way of drawing the demon out.

"The last we saw of Gregg was at the hospital.... Ryder threw holy water in his face and then managed to sedate the human side with a heavy knock out drug... The demon shook it off shortly but it was still woozy and off center so it took off before confronting us again."

Closing her eyes at the memory, she unconsciously moved closer to Ryder, needing to feel his brand of safe.

"We drove for hours and hours.... I don't know where the demon went but we stopped at that hotel for only the one night before heading here..... I imagine this will be the first place he will check ...... By now, he no doubt knows that the cats out of the bag and we know what he is..... He wants me dead and I've no doubt that he will try something soon........ I think.... I think it would be best if we set a trap for him instead of waiting for him to make his move......."

Swallowing hard, the little witch opened her eyes and looked directly at her brother.

"and we have a sure fire way of drawing him to it...... ME."

[Ryder James Winchester]

Ryder’s grey eyes trailed Bastian to the bar and he watched as the man took a swig straight from the bottle; the young hunter’s mouth watering at the remembered taste of his favorite liquor.
How many nights had that very amber liquid gotten him through the night…or the week…or the month? A strict diet of alcohol, cigarettes, and self-loathing had nearly killed him, but regardless, it didn’t take away from the fact had he not been holding onto his angel for support the middle Winchester probably would have poured himself a shot or two as well.

The respite he felt at the elder James sibling’s absolution distracted him from such thoughts, and Ryder let a smile ghost over his face and squeezed his girl friends had as if to tease her with a told you so, but the grin didn’t last long as the subject was changed and the name Gregg branded the air with a lingering darkness that constricted his lungs.
Though neither one of them knew it, Ryder’s desire to skin the male alive matched the elder James, which was bound to lead to some serious male ego as well as physical bruising…but that would come later. Truth be told it was the brother’s right to defend his sister, even if it killed the lover to let him do so.

When Simi confirmed what had happened back at the hospital and leaned into him, Ryder wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders and pulled her closer to his chest. He wanted to protect her from her reveries as much as he did her bodily, but unfortunately the hunter knew more than anyone those kinds of ghosts couldn’t be slain.
He expected that the seraph would find it hard to speak of the demon that nearly took her life and that it would take years to push those horrible memories aside, but what he wasn’t expecting was the latter that came out of her virtuous lips.

Unable to contain himself, Ryder shot up, turning his body to face Simone. “What? No…no fucking way.” He hadn’t meant to curse at her, but the words were as unexpected as her very suggestion, and fell from trembling lips. Shaking his head back and forth in silent negation, he turned his stormy gaze on her brother across the room. “There’s no way in hell we can let her do that. There has to be some other plan…something else we can do.”

[bastian]

Bastian took another swig of the liquor feeling the burn slide down his throat and fill his stomach with something other than anger and despair. Everything was twisted right now. Nothing in the world seemed to be right, with the exception of Chey, and even she had her own issues going on at the moment.

The ironic thing was that the entire family was out of balance and the one person who had kept them together for years didn't even know what was going on. What was Bastian supposed to do though? Call his mom and be like "Oh hey by the way mom, Simi was gang raped because of a demon, we thought she was dead for a while, and dad's back from the grave?" Somehow he figured that might not go over to well, especially not over the phone. She could very well blow up the country she was in.

When Simi mentioned using herself as bait Bastian choked on the whiskey, spilling it onto his shirt and looked at her with wide eyes. "That's not going to happen." He agreed with Ryder a hundred percent on that point. "That son of a bitch is not getting near you again. It's not happening forget it!"

Over Bastian's dead body that was going to happen. Gregg wasn't getting that close to Simi. There was another way. There had to be, but damn if he could think of a solid plan at the moment. He wished he could go and talk to his father, who actually wasn't lurking very far away. He had no doubt that Poppa James would know exactly what to do, but there was no way to go and talk to him without alerting Simi to his presence. Bastian couldn't do that. Not now. Simi didn't need to know that her father was a vampire yet. One catastrophe at a time. At least he would try to keep it that way for her.

[Simone Winchester]

Ok, well.... That went over like a ton of bricks.

Sighing, Simi leaned forward and rubbed her face with her palms. For a long moment, she was quiet as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that they were only trying to look out for her but she also knew that their best bet of ending this was her. Anything else might fail and they'd be right back in the same position they were in.. only, without the advantage.

Finally, getting to her feet, Simi padded to the window and stared out it unseeingly. In her mind, she mentally went over everything that had happened with as much of an impersonal view as she could. There had to be something in there that gave the demons thought process away. He seemed to almost be one step ahead of them all the time and that made the little blond believe that, even now, he could be lurking nearby.. Watching... Waiting for his chance to do some damage. Damage that having two hunters in the house wouldn't even phase him from.

No... luring him into the house was not an option. She would not risk the two men's lives when there was a better alternative. Neither would she set back and let them fight a fight that was hers. If she did, she didn't think she'd ever be able to believe that it was over again.

How to explain that to them though.....

Unable to remain silent any longer, the young woman turned and looked from the older hunter to the younger and back again. A cool, calm mask had fallen across her face and a part of her normal, logical tone flooded her voice as she spoke.

"Ry... Bastian.... If it were anyone but me.... What would you do? What would be the first plan of action you would take? We are all hunters here... or at least... have been raised to think like one. I might not do it for a living like the two of you but I damned well know that the best way to attract a monster is to bait the trap with the one thing they can't resist. That thing is me.... Whether we like it or not.... I'm our best bet on ending this thing, sooner rather than later..... " she said, looking between the two men. "I don't want to do it anymore than you guys want me to do it but... I dont' think we have a choice. The only way Gregg is going to come out and play is if he thinks hes got a chance at getting to me. Hes obviously crafty and sly because he managed to get into Tam and Kells house without anyone knowing and I never suspected a thing..... By now, he knows his gig is up so hes going to want to raise the stakes. I've survived him this long.... I can survive him one more time if its a means to and end."

Even though her words were brave, her hands rubbed at her crossed arms and gave away her agitation.

"Bastian? You remember my special spot I used to go to think in when I was little?? In the barn?? I was thinking that if we could put some devils traps down in there and spread straw over it... It might work for a good ambush......... I'm not sure what Mama has .. if anything.. for protection in there but it would be logical that I might go out there alone and Gregg might be cocky enough to go after me. If we can get him in a trap..... "

[Ryder James Winchester]

Ryder could have leapt across the room and kissed Bastian for agreeing with him. He hoped hearing her older sibling’s negation would shock some sense into Simi, especially after the brief but heartfelt exchange they’d just shared. He had to imagine arguing with the man moments after their reunion was something she would try to avoid, and that they could all sit down and work out another plan that didn’t include dangling the blonde witch in front of the demon like a worm on a pole.

Giving Simi her space and feeling a little, well, a lot ashamed of himself for the transitory outburst, the middle Winchester wandered over to the well stocked bar and found an expensive agave Tequila. Ryder unscrewed the lid and took a whiff, thankful that it didn’t have the same pull on him that whiskey did. That amber colored liquor brought back too many memories and it was too easy to fall back in the bottom of the bottle, especially when tensions were this high. But he needed a push of something strong to ease his anxiousness and so he pulled out a glass tumbler and poured himself a triple shot.
Lifting the glass to his lips, Ryder peered at the blonde over the rim, wondering what could be going through her mind as she stared silently out the window. He wanted desperately to go to her; to wrap his arms around her and beg for forgiveness, but now wasn’t the time to let his weakness for the woman triumph. Giving in would mean that her plan was alright by him, and it most certainly, absolutely, positively wasn’t.

Finally Simi turned around and her countenance held a blithe, tranquil quality. Ryder’s eyes narrowed in speculation, and he leaned back against the bar and clutched the edge with his free hand to keep from crossing the room and surrendering to her plan.
The witch’s voice was firm and strong, and her words; no matter how much he hated them, rang true. At that exact moment the hunter couldn’t have felt more humility; for the pride that surged through him at seeing this gentle, fragile creature become a dedicated huntress was like a bolt of lightening straight to his heart.

Ryder stood up straighter, his expression calm and resolute though he felt just the opposite, and nodded an affirmative to his witch. He couldn’t say the words out loud, but he would stand behind her no matter how difficult a task.
“I’ll go out there first and make the devil’s traps.” The young hunter told her, his voice cracking at the end but his air unwavering. “I think I’ve got some holy water in the back seat of the Jeep and you guys can figure out what Lexi has in the way of protection charms in here.”

He snaked his tongue across his bottom lip nervously, and his grey-blue gaze dropped to the ground. He couldn’t look at her. Not when he was so willing to let her go out there alone to wait for the monster that had stolen her innocence. But what could they do? Simi was right. They had to end this. If they didn’t she would always be afraid; always looking over her shoulder. She couldn’t live like that and he knew it. Doing this would help her get control of her life back, and Ryder just couldn’t deny her that.

[bastian]

Bastian downed some more whiskey, and almost choked on it again when Ryder agreed with Simi's plan. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the two of them. It hadn't gone past him, they way they were looking at each other, the holding of hands. The way that Simi was seeking comfort from Ryder. Bastian wasn't stupid. He knew his sister, and he could tell that she was smitten with the middle Winchester. That thought really did not sit well with him.

Ryder had left his family. All of them, Chey included. Bastian knew how much that tore her up inside. He'd seen the repercussions it had on Chey, and he hated it. Ryder couldn't be bothered to see his own sister, but he sure as hell didn't have a problem being there for Bastian's. That irked him in more ways than one. Sure Ryder and Ben were feuding, maybe for good reason. Bastian knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about. Someone you loved and thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. Bastian also knew what it was like to be the one to kill her.

Still he hadn't abandoned his family. He hadn't left his sister, and that was the thing, Chey felt abandoned. Now Ryder was sitting here in the study that once belonged to Bastian's father, better there for Simi than his own sister and agreeing to let her be the bait for a trap that they didn't even have planned out yet. He set his glare on Ryder. "No, it's not going to happen!"

He looked back and forth between the two of them wondering how they expected Bastian to be okay with this. How could he be all right with this plan, when every time Gregg had gotten near Simi he'd hurt her in one way or another? He looked to his sister. "You can't expect me to be okay with this. Damn it Simi I thought you were dead once, I can't go through that again!" He ran a hand over his head and set the whiskey down on the desk.

"I got a better idea. I say we put a blond wig and a dress on Ryder and we let him be the bait." He smirked. Maybe it was a little petty, but Bastian couldn't resist throwing it out there.

[Simone Winchester]

It was with some relief that Simi heard the surrender in Ryders voice. His stance and clipped tone made it obvious that he didn't like it but that he saw the wisdom of her words. For now, that would have to be enough.

Bastian, though, was a whole different ball game though.

Turning to face him directly, the petite blond wrapped her arms around her bruised ribs and studied his face silently. She didn't miss the angry looks he directed in Ryders direction and she couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. In her mind, he should be grateful to Ryder for saving her life and bringing her home but all she could sense was hostility and anger. Was it misplaced aggression? Was he forking the feelings he had towards her off on the other hunter because he was afraid to take it out on her?

Whatever it was, it would have to wait until later. She didn't have the time nor the energy to deal with it right now.

"Well, I might agree to that idea, Sebastion, if it weren't for the fact that Ryder out weights me just a bit and he's lacking some of the important.... Curves... so to speak. I don't think that the demons going to be fooled by him cause, no offense to Ry, but his legs are hairy and just wouldn't look as good in a skirt... ' she interjected lightly, trying to keep her tone steady even as she stared at her brother. " This isn't just about the demon anyways, Bastian.... This is something I NEED to see through. I need to be a part of this and take this hell spawn bitch down because its my life he shattered. It was bad enough when I thought he was simply human and he'd done the things he...did.... but to find out that the son of a bitch directly targeted me?? That it KNEW who and what I was the whole time and he intentionally did all these things to try to break me?? If you were in my place.... What would you do? What would you demand? I have to face down my own demons, no pun intended, or I'm going to be jumping at shadows for the rest of my life."

Walking to him, the petite witch place her hand on his arm and forced him to meet her eyes.

"I'm truly sorry that I caused you such pain..... It was never my intention and I thought to spare you all of this and I was wrong... But I need you with me on this, Batman." she whispered, using the nickname she'd childishly given him when he'd come swooping in to save the day. "As long as you two are with me... Nothing is going to happen and we can end this here and now. The person that fucking demon is inside is innocent of all the atrocities that thing has committed and its my fault it was attracted to him. I can't live with all this on my soul without doing something to end it.... and I don't think I would be the person you know me for if I just tucked tail and let someone else clean up the mess I was a part of...... You damned sure wouldn't do it and you know it..... We are James's and raised to kick some demon ass straight back to hell where they belong. I might not be the hunter you are but I'm damned straight capable of sending them straight back to hell with the right help."

Searching his eyes for some sign that she was making her points, Simi let her hand drop and then took the tumbler from his hand. Putting the rim to her lips, she tossed the rest of the whiskey back and felt the burn as she closed her eyes and let the warmth enclose her. For a long moment, she could pretend there was nothing more pressing than the simple pleasure of the burn and inhale the familiar scents of her fathers study. Here, she could almost feel his presence and feel his arms wrapped around her.

To bad it was only an illusion.

Opening her sapphire gaze once more, Simi looked over at Ryder and meet his cobalt ones resolutely. Understanding winked back at her and then she was pouring more whiskey into the tumbler. Never one much for the hard stuff, this seemed to go down smoother by the second. Simi could see the appeal after awhile even though she limited herself to one more sip before handing it back to Sebastian.

"To stop me from doing this, Sebastian.... Your going to have to lock me down and throw away the key because I can't stand idly by anymore than you could.... I'm your sister... If anyone should be able to understand my need to be a part of this... You should. I love you and I need you to help me do this...... but I can't bury my head in the stand and let others fight my battles....."

[Ryder James Winchester]

Ryder hadn’t abandoned his family. He had run away from his misery; from what he’d done, from himself. But he hadn’t run away from -them-.
Chey was a big girl, she could take care of herself…hell, she had left them to go away for school and though he had missed her something fierce, Ryder hadn’t blamed her for moving on with her life. It was what you did when you grew up. You got on with your life. The middle Winchester had felt his life had been stolen from him, and seeking some way to escape the loss of it, he’d done what he needed to do. It didn’t have anything to do with forsaking his little sister and it sure as hell wasn’t done to cause her pain, out of all his family Ryder knew that Chevrolet would know that his absence didn’t mean there was any love lost for her.
And while finding Simi and finding a reason to live again had been a miracle, it didn’t mean he’d traded comfort from his sister for that of the witch. It had been just that; a miracle. The blonde had wandered into his life by coincidence and that same luck and a phone number scrawled on her hand had led to his rescuing her from Gregg at the hospital. Granted, Bastian had plenty of reason to feel jealousy towards Ry and Chey had plenty of reason to be angry and hurt, but to consider it about anything but a man needing to get over having to murder his wife-to-be who, by the way happened to have been carrying their unborn child, was a skewed mind-set.

The young hunter took pause at Bastian’s outburst, and knowing exactly how he felt, sighed and lifted a hand to rub absently at the back of his neck. He didn’t miss the daggers Bas were throwing at him and Simi, and he had to wonder if he was suddenly noticing the sparks between himself and the witch. Still, this wasn’t exactly the time to worry about a man and a woman finding solace in one another; they had bigger fish to fry.

And to add to the daggers from his glare, Bastian spat acid at the hunter with his comment on the dress and wig. Shaking his head, the boyish blonde narrowed his own gaze, crossing his arms over his chest and holding his breath to keep from closing the distance between them with a fist to his jaw.

‘Think of Simi, think of Simi’ was the internal mantra Ryder repeated over and over as his anger began to simmer within like a rising fever. Keeping his trap shut was the best thing he could do as he watched the exchange between bother and sister, and he distracted his desire to pummel the guy with thoughts of his own younger sibling, something that had always helped him calm his temper in the past.
The young hunter was surprised to watch the blonde take the tumbler from Sebastian and drain the cool amber liquid, but then again, he was aching to do the same but knew that he needed to keep his head and if he had just one shot of whiskey he would be unable to stop.

Ryder unclenched his jaw, and when Simone was done with her dialogue, he strode heavily over to her with an unequivocally determined look in his stormy grey-blue eyes. As much as he wanted to do as Simi had suggested by locking her way somewhere safe, the truth was she would never be able to get back her self-worth or power again unless they went through with her plan.
Not caring in the slightest when Bastian thought or felt, the middle Winchester wrapped an arm around Simi’s waist and pulled her close, slanting his lips over hers in a deep, but fleeting mouthy embrace. He pulled back to stare at the hunter with cold sapphires; brow knit with resolution. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect your sister and you’re going to send the son-of-a-bitch back to hell.” Ryder told the man between clenched teeth and then let go of his witch in order to move toward the door.

“And after that if you want to finish what you started earlier, I’d be more than happy to oblige.” And with that Ry tracked back through the house, leaving brother and sister in order to go to the barn like he’d said he was going to do.

[bastian]

Bastian gave up on arguing. There was no use. Simi and Ryder had their mind set on what was going to be done. When Ryder stared him down Bastian returned the glare, a small smile playing on his face. "Oh we'll finish it, don't worry about this." His voice was low, ominous, filled with the promise of pain. If Ryder wanted a fight when this was over, Bastian would give him one.

Right now though he needed to get his head in the game. He didn't like this plan one little bit. Having Simi as bait for the demon who raped her, let others rape her and had tried to kill her more than once didn't seem like the best possible plan in the world. Still he'd die himself before he let Gregg get to Simi again.

He glanced to his sister. "Fine, but don't expect me to like this, and when this is over, we're going to talk. Just me and you." Without waiting for either of them to respond he walked out of the room, moving to get the supplies they needed.

[Simone Winchester]

{JP CLOSURE POST WITH SIMI AND TRISTIAN}



Simi:

Standing in stunned bewilderment, Simone could only watch the two most important men in her life turned and walk out of the room in different directions. Finding the tumbler she'd taken from Bastian still in her hand, the little blond sighed and poured another huge helping into it before turning and stumbling to her fathers favorite chair. She knew better than to even try to pop her head out of the house and didn't really want to in any case. The last few days had been living hell on earth and all she wanted to do was hide away in the safety of her childhood home.


Slumping down into the worn leather of the recliner, Simi took a big swig of the whiskey and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Never one to drink the hard stuff on a normal basis, she found herself welcoming the burn that set in on the heels of the last two drinks. Unfortunately, being alone only made her memories swirl in her mind and the liquor loosened her control of her emotions. Before she knew it, she was sobbing quietly and wishing desperately for her father's comforting arms.

If she only closed her eyes, she could almost feel him there with her, she thought to herself. Pressing her hot, damp cheeks to the cool material of the arm, the fragile young witch hiccuped softly as her tears slowed and the liquor slid her into a deep state of exhausted sleep.



Tristian:

From the shadows of the hall, Tristian had listened to everything that went on in his study. When he'd originally come into the house, he hadn't been aware that Bastian, Simi and Ryder Winchester would be showing up...but slowly, a family reunion had taken place. First Bastian had confronted him, and now...now, his daughter was in the prime position to get introduced to Dead Daddy Dearest. Was this fate doing some malicious tap dancing, or what? He'd done his best to fade into black when Ryder came stomping out, heading for the barn out back. He'd been tempted to follow after the boy and see what kind of preperations he was planning on making, but the tense voices in the study had kept him rooted. Next, Bastian had stormed out of the room, obviously needing some fresh air to clear his head...and there she was; alone and crying.

Every single one of his instincts demanded that he burst into the room and take his daughter up into his arms. He wanted to comfort her, console her, take all those bad memories away until that beautiful smile was back on her face. The thought of the monster who'd hurt her had him grabbing the doorknob in front of him, for want of something to hurt. When the others found the demon who'd taken his daughter's innocence from her, it was going to die a painful, painful death.

And that was after Tristian called it back to earth and made it suffer worse punishments than it could find in Hell.

Silently, he watched as Simi slumped back onto his favorite recliner. He gritted his teeth when she gulped down the old bottle of whiskey next to it, and bit his lip when she started to sob. He had to steel himself against the urge to comfort her; remind himself that his being dead was for her own benefit...

But, in the end, he couldn't stop himself from going to her. She was his baby, and she was hurting. How could he stand by and let her hurt alone?

Her eyes had drifted closed as he silently moved across the room and knelt at the side of the chair. Softly, tentatively, he used his thumb to wipe away tears still clinging to her cheeks. His poor baby. His little Simi.

"It's going to be alright, darlin'," He murmured to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Daddy's here. Everything's gonna be alright."



Simi:

From the midst of her dreams, Simi felt the touch of a hand upon her cheek and the sound of a rich baritone voice speaking through the fog of her mind. Instantly her heart recognized the voice and a feeling of comfort slid over her. Nuzzling her cheek into the palm, she sighed and hiccuped again. "I've missed you, Daddy..... Please don't go again...I need you... We need you..." she whispered, unaware that she was talking to the flesh and blood item instead of the phantom of her dreams.



Tristian:

Tristian had to bite his cheek to keep from responding. Those plaintive words almost had him hauling her up from the chair and holding her close, but he couldn't risk waking her. He couldn't risk her knowing that he was still alive...at least, for the moment. Bastian was set on making his presence known, but he knew that no one needed another secret being blown up in their faces during such a trying time. Simi needed to conquor one demon, before being forced to face another.

"I'm here, my angel," He murmured, placing another kiss on her cheek. It was quiet in the house, so he remained where he was; kneeling beside the recliner, keeping watch. He murmured to her; comforting words and promises that, in his heart, he knew he would fight to keep. And when she started to stir, it took all of his willpower to make himself leave her side. Once again, he melted into the shadows and watched his baby sleep.

SIMI:

A good hour or so later, Simi awoke with a start. Rubbing her eyes, she realized that she'd unintentionally taken a nap and jumped to her feet. Strangely though, instead of the turmoil of earlier, she found a sense of peace having invaded her soul. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and then headed upstairs to take a quick shower and slip into some of her old, familiar clothing.

It was time to prepare to dance with the devil.



{OKIES... Now, if you guys want we can fast forward to the fight... *happy dance*}

{Continued in Say Goodbye As We Dance With The Devil Tonight }