Chapter Text
When Gin had heard about Ed’s heart attack, she reached out to Lorraine right away to offer anything she could. Even if she was hundreds of miles away, she’d still be there for her. Lorraine was more than thankful for that, given all they had gone through on their last case, she was grateful for this new friendship that sparked between them. And once Ed was out of the hospital, and home, Gin made the drive from Montana to Connecticut to visit. Sam and Dean were out on cases, however they’d be back to watch over the ranch while she was gone, but they sent their wishes to the Warrens in their absence. So she made the trek out there alone.
This had been her first time to their house, ever and this was a part of Connecticut she hadn’t been to yet, but it certainly wouldn’t be her last time. The area was beautiful and fall was just around the corner, she could tell by the few leaves that started their change and the brisk breezes that swept through, even with a hot sun. When she arrived at their house, tucked away in some trees, she saw that Lorraine was outside waiting to greet her. The woman looked so tired and worn out from worry. But there was a gleam in her eyes that told Gin that she was on the mend, but the reality of it was Lorraine knew they weren’t out of the woods yet.
With Ed resting, Gin and Lorraine were sitting on the back patio, having their coffee and watching Judy, Lorraine’s daughter out in the yard with the small flock of chickens, along with Lorraine’s mother, Georgiana. It was so peaceful here, it reminded her of her home in the mountains, just on a smaller, more intimate scale.
“All of this couldn’t have happened at a worse time,” Lorraine said with a sigh, and Gin looked over at her from across the table, eyes filling with a bit more concern.
Gin’s worries were confirmed that Lorraine hadn’t been able to stop thinking about all that had happened with Ed. Which, the details she was still a little foggy on. So Gin ventured out with her curiosity. By that statement alone, Gin could tell that Lorraine wanted to talk about it, but for some reason, she seemed nervous to bring it up with her. Gin leaned in a little closer, just to close up the conversation a little more.
“Lorraine..” Gin invited her with her tone to have her attention on her. “Is there something you wanna talk about? What’s wrong?” She searched Lorraine’s face seeing the anxiety all over it.
There was so much apprehension, but it was mixing with fear, before Lorraine finally took a breath and looked away, starting to speak. “We were on a case. A young boy was possessed by a demon. An evil one. It attacked Ed and nearly killed him by stopping his heart, during the exorcism. Ed took over with the exorcism after the father was struck in the head by something he— he was out cold but this boy, David, was dying— this demon was killing him.” Gin could hear Lorraine’s voice getting tighter. “Then I had this vision.. well, visions, I don’t know what they all meant at the time. I.. I don’t remember much other than coming to, and Ed was having a heart attack. Then.. we were at the hospital. It’s all I can remember.”
Gin sat back in a bit of shock. “Lorraine.. you could have called me. I’d have been on the first flight out—“ Lorraine was shaking her head.
“I didn’t think it was going to be like this— I mean, we knew what it was, fully prepared to go in for the exorcism but this just.. was like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” Lorraine explained.
“Well, what was the conclusion? I mean, with the case? Did it work?” Gin asked, taking a sip from her coffee, her eyes staying on Lorraine. “Did you use the exorcism chant I taught you?” Gin added with a grin but a small one, just to keep it light-hearted.
“Well…” She took a deep breath and the worry was back onto her face. “It got worse.”
“The kid died?”
“No, David survived, but that’s just it. Arne invited this thing in.. and… we now have to go in front of a jury and convince them of proof that there are demons, and the devil exists.” Lorraine began. “Arne murdered his landlord and claims that the demon was the reason he did it. Like he wasn’t in control like he was—“
“Possessed,” the women said together and Gin leaned back in her chair, running her hand over her face.
“People like you and I know the real evil out there. We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it. And no matter how many interviews we’ve done— Ed and I, there is always backlash. There’s always skepticism.” Lorraine continued. “I believe that Arne is innocent and that this thing is to blame for all of his actions.” Her eyes glistened like she would start to cry at any moment. Gin placed a hand over hers to keep her grounded, and to ease her worry.
“I’ll help you,” Gin told her. “I’ll take some of this off of you. Maybe, just for the time being, take Ed’s spot when it comes to the physical stuff. And trust me I know how it is, no one ever thanked me that I’ve saved. Kinda just learn to go with it anymore. It sucks.”
“Gin —“ Lorraine couldn’t ask so much of her, she had done so much the last time they worked together, and she didn’t want to burden her with more.
“I want to help. And maybe I can help you on the legal end of things.” She offered, “Why don’t we go inside, and go over the evidence you do have.”
There was a moment of silence between them and just before they moved to get up, Gin caught Ed out of her peripherals moving past the patio door, carefully taking his steps with the aid of his cane. Lorraine saw Gin’s eyes flicker up and she turned to see who she was looking at. “Or we can save it for later” Gin offered.
“He knew you were coming, I don’t think there is putting this one off.” She turned back and smiled a little at Gin before getting up to head inside. Gin motioned to her to go in, she would gather the empty cups and clean up the table just before she followed her in too.
Gin was feeling a little guilty about this, she could have helped them and stopped this before it went sideways. If she had been there, Ed wouldn’t be in the condition he was, she could have killed this thing. But she was here now, and she had to help them fix it. She wasn’t going to leave until this thing was gone for good. She owed it to them. Gin didn’t teach them everything about what she knew, because they never really dealt with anything other than vengeful spirits, their versions of demons. As crazy as it seems, it was almost like entry-level hunters, but they were pros at it in their rights. They reflected all of the good that people like them and Gin, along with the boys did for people. It was showcasing in the public eye, the better side of the spectrum they were on.
“Ed, good to see you walking around.” Gin greeted him and gave him a gentle hug, to which he returned, steadying himself on his cane, and his free hand rested on her shoulder as he hugged her back.
“Oh, I feel just wonderful.” He chuckled. “Like I could run a marathon.”
“Oh well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, here, Ed.” Gin laughed and the couple joined in, Ed and Lorraine walked to their kitchen table, the small round one by the window. Ed sat with his back to the sun that was beaming in, and it was like he was just letting his body absorb the warmth and the rays through his clothes.
“Where’s Sam and Dean?” Ed then asked.
Gin leaned back on the island, resting her palms on the edge of the countertop. “They have a case in Houston, they just got done a case in Sedona. They wished they could come out. They wanted me to tell you that they’re thinkin’ about you guys. I’m sure they’ll get out here to visit you soon. But they’re kinda holding the fort down while I’m gone.”
“Well, you guys are always welcome,” Lorraine added.
“And the same goes for you three. I know it’s a hike, but you’ll have a place to stay and a car to drive. You wouldn’t have to pay for either.”
“Oh, we couldn’t ask you to do that.” Ed dismissed politely.
“It would be no trouble at all. I’d love for you guys to come visit. There’s a guest house with room for all three of you, it’ll be like staying at a resort in the mountains.” She chuckled. “When you’re free to fly, though Ed. No sense in pushing yourself now.”
“I agree, I’ll be homebound for a little while. Doctor’s orders.” Ed looked over at his wife who gave him a look, quickly followed by a sly smirk.
“And mine.” She added and looked back at Gin. “Which is why I asked her to come out here, Ed. She’s going to help with this case. I think you need to just—“
“What? I’m being benched? Lorraine, we’ve talked about this—“ Ed interjected as Lorraine rested her hand on his, looking at him with the love and worry she carried for years with each case.
“Not necessarily.” Gin stepped in and sat across from the couple. “Think of me as… the muscle.” She chuckled. “I’ll take some of this off of your plates, and Lorraine mentioned those visions she had, maybe I can do some digging and see where they could have come from— or what they mean.”
“Maybe the visions can wait— there’s a kid’s whole life on the line. Maybe they aren’t related. Maybe it’s just something… I don’t know further down the road.” Lorraine tried to dismiss it.
“Lorraine—“ Ed began to interject, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Who does Arne have representing him?” Gin tried to get the conversation back on track. “Anyone?”
Lorraine and Ed exchanged a look. “Yes, but.. he’s not the greatest. He’s a skeptic..”
“I think he’s faking it for the work.” Ed scoffed and squeezed the handle of his cane.
“Sam went to Stanford. He passed the bar exam… He’ll represent him.” Gin seemed a bit too eager to throw Sam’s services out there, but it was the best chance this kid had.
“Did you ask him?” Lorraine asked.
“N-No, but I know he’ll say yes. I’ll call him later on after we go over everything,” Gin replied and moved to sit on the counter stool.
The duo exchanged another nervous look, but they trusted Gin, so they would agree. Ed motioned to the dining room, taking his careful head start to get there while Lorraine gathered the box of evidence they had to go over. There wasn’t much to dive into, between the video evidence of the exorcisms and the reports from Arne’s COs, it looked like just a nasty possession from a powerful demon. Gin was studying the photographs while the Warrens brought her up to speed, all the way up to the murder of Bruno, Arne’s landlord. Although the video evidence was the hardest to watch, it was blurry in some spots and the video would cut out then the audio would cut out. There was a lot of screaming, pleading, and general chaos. Watching that little boy be twisted into a pretzel on the table made her stomach churn, but she kept watching it through until everyone was out of frame. The screeching and rumbling finally ceased and the video stopped when Lorraine screamed for Ed and to call an ambulance.
Gin looked up at Lorraine and they both had looked away, clearly a traumatic memory. She hated that they had to be reminded of that moment, she couldn’t imagine being in that situation but it had passed, and now they were dealing with it.
“Have you ever… dealt with a demon like this before? Something inhuman?” Ed asked Gin once he looked back at her.
“I have, yes. With demons, it doesn’t matter whether or not they were human once. Although the inhuman ones tend to be worse than those who have lived a life and became a demon whatever the circumstance.” Gin explained, closing the laptop.
“Why?” Lorraine asked.
“I think it’s because even though they are demons now, they remember their humility… to some degree. No matter how far they shove it down and ignore it. It’s still their weakness. Every demon has its weaknesses. Be it God or otherwise.”
“Well, you say it like that, it makes me feel different about sending them back to Hell,” Ed shrugged.
“It’s not worth the time and bull to save them, Ed. Trust me,” Gin said softly.
“You’ve tried?” Lorraine asked.
“Many hunters have lost their lives trying, sometimes it’s a can of worms that the world isn’t ready for. Vengeful spirits or trapped souls are one thing. Once they become demonic, there’s no coming back from it.”
“How do you know the difference? Aren’t Demons just vengeful spirits?” Ed asked.
“The same way a square can be a rectangle—“ Gin half smiled. “It’s complicated, but not every vengeful spirit is a demon, not every demon is a vengeful spirit.”
Ed and Lorraine shared a troubled look, their faces filling with guilt. “Ed…could… all of those exorcisms have been wrong? Could we have saved some of them?” Lorraine’s voice wavered with shame.
“Lorraine, there’s no way you could have known…it takes years and years of what I do as a hunter to tell them apart, and even then some slip through the cracks. What is most important is that we save the people affected by them..” Gin reached out and gently touched the top of her hand to comfort her. “It’s the people still Earthbound that need us the most…”
Ed gave her a reassuring nod of agreement and he leaned over, kissing her forehead. “She’s right honey.”
"Lorraine, your visions— When do they happen?” Gin asked.
She seemed hesitant to answer, but Gin could see the guilt lingering on her features from what she had just realized. “U-uhm. I had to have a connection, with David it was physical. He grabbed my arm in the middle of his exorcism, and I first saw the vision. The images were so fast— like lightning flashes through my mind. Which isn’t normal for me. They are usually very clear, and distinct. I remember an Alter, the smell of old books and… dirt. It felt very cold. Like a wet cellar.”
That didn’t give Gin a lot to work with, so maybe it was worth going on her own to look into it. “I’ll go to the crime scene, the Kennel, and I’ll see what I can find. Give me a couple of days and I’ll come back with what else I find. In the meantime, Sam will be here to take over Arne’s case, and maybe keep him off death row..”