Supernatural 1. Introduction, Purgatory

Hello! Just a quick introduction to the world this is set in before you start reading the story. I'm laying down a framework to define the monster heaven of Supernatural further for this fic and any other ones I decide to do after. I think Purgatory is a potentially very interesting place and there is infinite room for storytelling about it. But we don't know that much about Purgatory at all, we really only scratched the surface. So, here is my take on it.

**Purgatory**

Death

If you experience death in Purgatory, you are at true rest until your soul regenerates to resume the hunt once again. Those who survive longer take longer to come back, some of the most ancient beasts in Purgatory could be all but banished permanently if they were taken down. This is one of the reasons why there aren't actually millions of monsters running around in Purgatory all the time. There is a sustainable amount of predators and when there are too many Purgatory itself puts them together to force conflict and death.

Terrain

There are all different types of terrain in Purgatory. Mountains, deserts, swamps, forests, it's all there. Monsters gravitate towards their preferred hunting grounds and often stay there until killed or driven off by stronger ones or one of the many volatile groups that form.

Time

Purgatory time runs parallel to Earth time, a second is a second and a year is a year. Day and night cycles are a completely different animal.

Day &amp; Night

There is no sun in the sky, just a dull glow through endless clouds that casts the world of Purgatory into a grim setting. There is a day and there is a night, but they can last weeks at a time. There is always a strong upsurge in meeting other monsters and violent encounters during one of the long nights. It is Purgatorys way of lowering the population, sending more souls into regenerative states to maintain a balance. When the population rises too high, darkness closes in and it won't lift until enough death has been dealt.

Weather

There is no extreme weather in Purgatory; no rain, biting cold or baking heat. The only active weather to speak of is the fog that rolls around seemingly at random. It is like a safety blanket, injured or doggedly pursued monsters can hide in it and stand a chance of losing their hunters.


	2. Chapter 1

Welcome to Third Time's The Charm, my Purgatory/Benny Lafitte fanfic! There is a sad lack of Benny and Purgatory related fics around here, so I decided to pitch in. Be the change you want and all that jazz. Not going to make any promises about update speeds, but I do know the story I want to tell in a nutshell so there's that. Enjoy!

**Benny**

Sam Winchester and the tear in Purgatory that lead to Earth disappeared in a wink, no sign of either having ever been there. Of course, Benny was more concerned with the two remaining vampires attempting to shred his guts out just then. Tumbling down with his blade in hand, Benny kicked up his legs as the woman in a bloody and tattered white dress fell on him, tossing her overhead to land in a snarling heap.

Staggering to his feet and ramming the slender man in a black suit back bodily with his shoulder, Benny's fangs dropped as he grinned and gripped his blade hard, "It's good to be back, boys 'n girls." The struggle was brief and intense, his enemies didn't have any weapons beyond their teeth and natural vampire given strength and speed, at the end there was three headless bodies and Benny staggering off into the dark to gain his bearings. He had a plan; The Old Man, his nestmates and former lover were out there somewhere and Benny's retribution would be just as swift in this world as the last.

At least the area was familiar, Benny reasoned, he knew the area around the portal to Earth well enough. Although there was a darkness creeping at the edges of his vision, suggesting a night would be coming soon. Everything was bloodier during the nights.

**26 years later...**

**Rois**

Tap, tap, tap. Metal hitting metal was a familiar cadence coming to an end, finally. Letting out a tired huff, Rois stood up from the last tent peg she had grounded with the head of her small camping hatchet and smiled. Mary and Lisa, steadfast friends from her school days, were each at a tent of their own and working on getting them standing to varying degrees of success.

"Coming along good, just make sure you fit the poles through each loop so they hold up the tent properly, easy peasy." Rois remarked, standing next to Lisa's much more slight and short form as she clumsily pressed the assembled tent pole through each loop as instructed.

"It feels like we've spent all day doing this, we're not even going to get to hang out before it's time to go to bed!" Mary's high voice chimed in. She was already well ahead of Lisa, having had some previous experience with camping, and her tent was standing up as she spoke.

"We're here for a few days Mary, no rush- that is the point!" Rois smiled, ever the relaxed one, and helped Lisa finish up her own tent with minimal fuss.

A camping trip in the woods a few miles out from her country home was Rois' idea, and so far it was pretty fun. They had spent the better part of the day talking while hiking on foot to the place Rois scouted out in the previous weeks, despite Mary's grumblings otherwise. None of the women wanted to camp out in a place none of them were familiar with and Rois had been the one to come up with a solution. Rois knew the woods for miles around, was very comfortable with their surroundings and their cellphones had reception if there was an emergency at hand. Lisa was moving away at the end of the year and they all agreed it was high time to spend more time together before their trio became a duo.

After their tents were arranged and an area cleared for a modest fire, Lisa crossed her arms and looked at her two friends through her thin black wire frame glasses and smiled, "Glad I came, it's so nice to not have all the rug rats around sometimes!" Lisa had two very energetic 5 year old twins who were being babysat for the weekend.

"I hear ya." Mary chimed happily."Lets go get some wood for the fire and start up this vacation?"

"Sounds good." Rois looked up and around, judging. "Not much sun left though, so lets make it quick. Don't go too far!"

Each woman chose her direction and wandered off, picking up deadfall along the way. Rois was right about how much sun was left though, by the time her and Lisa came back with as big an arm load as each could carry, it was dim and hard to see. Dropping off her sticks in a pile, Lisa huffed "Getting too old for this, you know? Probably the first and last time I'll be doing it! Have you seen Mary anywhere, by the way?" Lisa had a soft voice but she spoke very quickly, a tribute to her Newfoundland heritage that had not faded any by moving to Ontario when she was a kid.

"No, actually." Rois lips pursed into a thoughtful frown, taking a moment to absorb their surroundings again. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen or heard anything. Very quiet." A needle of fear poked at her calm facade before she schooled her features, it would not do to spook Lisa for no reason. "I'll have a look, you stay here and get the fire going alright? Use small sticks and the lighter, make them into a teepee shape with some dry grass inside, that will do the trick. Got it?" Lisa nodded, clearly nervous but keeping a hold on it as she picked up the lighter and knelt down to set to her task quietly.

Meanwhile, Rois picked up her hatchet and took a moment to recall what direction Mary went. The woman was almost as tall as her own 5'8", had long curly brown hair and wore light colored clothing as advised, she would be easy to find. Tromping off, hatchet in hand, Rois stared intently at the ground and the footprints her friend mashed into the soft soil all while feeling uneasy over the lack of croaking, chirping and buzzing insects and birds. "Hey Mary, where are you?" She called, receiving only silence in answer. It was going to be impossible to find her if she went too far and night fell, Rois was not an owl after all. "I'm coming Mary." Rois muttered, moving with a sense of urgency that was increasing by the second.

Mary's trail was walking in a straight line away from camp so she couldn't get lost, and was picking up deadfall along the way too. But when Rois saw that she had started dropping and not collecting sticks, she looked up and around fearfully. "Mary! I'm coming, please say something!"

A fearful wail, dulled by distance, came from behind. Rois' eyes opened wide and she froze momentarily, sucking in a sharp, fearful breath. "Lisa! Lisa I'm coming!" In a moment Rois was barreling through the woods towards the camp, clenching her hatchet for dear life and hoping for all it was worth she wasn't too late.

In the center of their camp there was a soft white light casting a shadow over the shape of Rois' friend Lisa and illuminating the front of an unknown, rather tall, man. Stumbling to a halt and transfixed in terror, Rois watched haplessly as the silhouette of Lisa began to crumble away, the angular features of her attacker showing a wicked smile. Sucking in a breath and grasping her hatchet unsteadily, Rois trembled as Lisa fell in on herself, reduced to a pile of silent dust as the soft white light was absorbed into Lisa's attacker and darkness fell over their camp site.

"Lisa..." Rois whispered fearfully, straining to keep an eye on the stranger who remained standing in the clearing, unmoving.

"Gone." His voice was chilling, confident and cool, altogether unconcerned about the life, maybe lives, that he had just defiled. Like a shadow, he began to approach at a smooth and leisurely pace; Confident that Rois would not escape whatever fate he had planned for her, it seemed.

"What did you do to my friends? Who and what are you?" Gritting her teeth, Rois raised her hatchet in warning, spreading her feet further apart across the pine needle covered ground for better balance as she addressed him.

"Doesn't matter, you will join them shortly." He had stepped close, too close, and with a snap of movement Rois was gripped by the throat and lifted bodily. There was a crude feeling tingling through her skin as she looked the monster in his dark eyes, a surge of anger flooding through her limbs.

"No!" Rois' voice was choked but it was clear enough, as she shouted her hatchet came up and collided with the side of the man's head, a loud crack indicating a direct hit and bone being broken. All at once she was dropped and bolting into a terror infused run, legs pumping, lungs burning and skin stinging at the lash of small branches.

"Where do you think you are going?!" His angry voice sounded off, far too close for comfort, and another set of feet thundering through the woods was almost louder than the sound of blood pounding through Rois' ears. Rois had only hit him with the flat side of the hatchet, fearful of killing even thought he clearly just killed one of her friends, but there was bone broken and he should definitely not be running after her like this, not after that.

Lungs burning and legs stumbling, Rois almost careened over the edge of the cliffs she had been intending on showing Mary and Lisa the next day. Crashing to her knees, Rois heaved in a lungful of air and rested. There was no choice, her body demanded it even though her mind continued to scream _flee_. Thump. Thump. Thump. Footsteps leaving the treeline and tracking onto the hard packed earth closer to the cliff, right behind her. He was strolling leisurely again, mocking. Rois' will to fight was leaving her, whatever this monster was, it was going to win. Instead of looking back at him she looked out over the forest below and beyond, and the moon creeping along the sky lazily. It would have been a beautiful sight.

"Quite a sight." His voice was above her, apparently he had stopped to admire the view. Rois was still trying to catch her breath, but shakily stood up and renewed the death grip she had on the hatchet, muttering "Would have been better if I could have shared it with my friends, not a monster." Her voice choked and tears that had been streaming down her face as she ran through the woods came to her with renewed force.

"In a few moments, you'll be able to look at it with them. Don't worry." A large hand clasped her arm and spun her around to face him with a sharp jerk while his free hand grabbed, took and chucked away her hatchet smoothly. With the moonlight on his face Rois could make out his handsome features, a 5 o'clock shadow, short black hair and piercing eyes, maybe green like her own. He would have been an attractive man, if he wasn't a murderer.

"If there is a hell, I'll see you there when you arrive." Rois spat angrily, jerking against his hold as his free hand gripped her upper arm, tugging her into place in front of him roughly.

"That's the trick girl, I don't plan on ever dying." A force seemed to draw her eyes to his again, and her skin started tingling and burning just like back at camp as their gazes locked.

"No no no!" she tried shaking her head but found herself transfixed even though her whole body started to burn up painfully, she was being destroyed like Lisa and Mary had and there didn't seem to be any way to avert it. It registered to her that she could actually move her limbs and with just a thought and no time for regrets, Rois let out a choked cry and jerked forwards and to the side, grasping at her captor and sending the two of them careening over the edge of the cliff. The man let out a surprised angry cry of his own and grasped her tighter, eyes boring into hers as they made their rapid descent.

As they fell, Rois cried out in agony and shock as her body began to disintegrate into a fine gray dust that streamed through the air on their way down. All at once she felt a sort of _tug_ that separated her from the physical agony, and that strange white glow appeared between the two of them. Rois felt distant, like she was watching what was unfolding from the outside, as this white light started to sink in to his chest she was being pulled along. It registered dimly that _she_ was the light; her essence, or something like that, was being stolen. A darkness was gripping her tightly and taking her in, shrouding her vision as she was absorbed. The monster only had a moment to bark a short laugh of triumph, however, as his body came crashing into the ground. His mortal shell burst like a melon on the hard, flat rock and all that remained of Rois coated and mixed with his remains until it was just red gooey mud.

Everything had gone perfectly dark and silent for a heartbeat, and then it was over. With a jolt, Rois was standing in front of her attacker once more, but it was no longer night and there was no cliffs to her left. Stumbling backwards slightly, Rois tried to wrap her head around what the hell was happening while the expression on her attackers face flowed from triumph to confusion and finally, anger. But he was no longer a handsome man, in the gloomy light that they were now bathed in, Rois saw clearly that his flesh had turned a sickly mix of green and gray, that he'd become desiccated and stick-like. Worse yet were his eyes or lack thereof, only sockets remained. His voice was much the same, but with a hollow tone, as he took one step towards Rois "I'm... Dead. You killed me."

Rois was taking a long step backwards from his outstretched withered hand when an unearthly howling sounded off all around them, accompanied by snarls and snaps. Her attacker paused, withered lips curling into a sick, dead smile "Have fun while you can princess, you don't have much time left it seems." Without pause, he turned and ran at a speed Rois' eyes could barely keep up with, leaving her with whatever was coming.

She almost yelled "Wait!" before catching herself. That was her friends murderer and if what he said had any truth in it, her own murderer too. A cruel laugh brought her thoughts back in to focus, and Rois saw a man leaning against one of the old, unfamiliar trees that surrounded her. There was something off about his face, though.

"Whats this then?" Others were stepping into view alongside the man who had spoke, tears started to spring from Rois' eyes again as the stress of the past hour started to boil over. The man leaned forwards and sniffed audibly, laughing in pleased surprise "A human? Don't know how you got here girl, but I do know that we haven't gotten to have fun with one of you in a long, long time..." A tenseness filled Rois as the man spoke, suddenly shifting from possibly friendly to threatening. "So we're gonna let you run, y'see, and you're gonna try and escape while we have some fun. Got it?" Rois was already backpedaling.

"Where am I, and what do you mean by a human? Please... I don't know what's going on!" Rois' breaths were coming ragged as fear started to amp her up, but she received no response. The man and his four friends, three more men and one woman, all started to glide down the gentle slope towards her. It only took another moment of scrutiny to realize that there really was something wrong with their faces. Pushed in noses, bright animal eyes and great fangs, even their hands had wicked claws. They really weren't humans and Rois needed no other warnings to spin on her heel and start running as fast as she could away from them. Several delighted hoots sounded off behind her and the chase was on.

Rois had been running for what felt like hours, the back of her black sleeveless shirt had been ripped open in several places and had become thoroughly bloodstained. Sometimes the monsters would be directly behind her and around her, giving her nicks and cuts and trying to trip her up, teasing. Her voice had become strained from yelling, begging and finally cursing at her pursuers, and now she was on her last legs, heaving in breaths as exhaustion crept up on her. Coming over a low rise in the soft, foliage covered earth, a root came up and sent Rois tumbling down a steep decline gracelessly. Holding her arms to her body and closing her eyes, she hoped to roll into a safe landing and was thankful when that was the case. Opening her eyes did no good, however. Fog, thicker than any she had ever experienced, had enshrouded her and the angry shouts of her hunters were all around but muffled.

Rois laid prone on the ground until she thought her attackers might have moved on, no longer hearing them cursing and snarling. Breathing still labored and uneven, she stood up and grasped at her sore knees a moment before straightening and starting a slow, forward march through the fog. When the thumping of feet running hard started up again, she turned to flee outright but her shoulder hit a body and a hand snapped up to cover her mouth and muffle her startled yelp.

Stubble from unshaven facial hair pressed against Rois' neck as she was held tight and a warm, southern accent whispered into her ear "Not gonna hurt you darlin', you gotta calm that heart down though." There was a brief reassuring pat on her arm, but Rois was still held firm.

A surge of relief flooded her at the thought of someone who, if only for the moment, wasn't trying to eat, kill or otherwise maim her. Nodding her head slightly in response, Rois was relieved to have the large hand slowly removed and to no longer be directly up against whoever this person was. Holding very still, she refrained from moving, muffled talking and snarling sounded like it was coming from all around in the confusing fog.

There was a quick movement from behind, and Rois found herself presented with a hat that reminded her of golf "Hold this for me and don't move, darlin'." Confused and weary, Rois wasn't about to question it and just took it in hand, nodding quietly. It was actually rather comforting to rub her fingers against the old fabric as the man walked past silently. He was not much taller than her, but he was quite broad, had short hair and wore a dark ratty jacket, details were hard to make out and before she knew it he was gone.

_Keep your heart calm Rois. _The mental reassurance kept her still as stone, along with a healthy dose of fear, and listening as hard as she could.

"Don't know where she went, Big. Can't smell or see shit in the fog, you know that." That was the female monster talking, not far away either. Rois crouched as fast as she could, trying to get smaller.

"Worthless rats, all of you. If you can't smell the stupid human then go to the hill where she fell and follow her damn steps. Morons." Undoubtedly the leader who spoke to her originally. Rois thought about his animal eyes and maw of thick fanged teeth and shivered involuntarily.

"Marks!" The woman again, but the name she cried was a distressed yell. "Big, someone got Marks! BIG!" Clearly there was a rising panic happening and Rois couldn't help but get more fearful too. Sounds of muffled fighting and yelling were all around and Rois couldn't crouch there waiting to be found anymore. Standing up and staggering through the white blanket blindly while clutching on to the hat she was told to hold, Rois couldn't help but think about the absurdity of it all right up until she ran into what she was looking for- a big tree.

_Stay calm, be quiet, hold the hat, climb._ It was a steady mantra she kept running through her head as her arms, less tired than her legs, grasped at branches and pulled her upwards into the towering sentinel. _What kind of tree is this even?_ There was time to mull over her situation as all muffled sound gave way to her labored breathing and the crumbling of bark under her raw hands and bare feet. _This isn't home. Hell, this might not even be Earth. _Scrabbling on to a thick branch, Rois all but threw herself down across it and laid on her stomach, letting her legs dangle while wondering if they'd ever work again. Staying in the tree forever was not an option, but Rois was going to get as much rest as she could and keep an eye out for the possibly helpful stranger in the meantime.

Rois laid in the tree silently for enough time to almost fall asleep and fall out of it several times over, but in that time the fog had started to clear enough that she could see the ground below at least. When an unfortunately familiar figure staggered into her sight below, huffing for breath and sniffing loudly, Rois froze in fear. _Big is his name_, she recalled and hoped that he wouldn't look up. That was too much to hope for.


	3. Chapter 2

Walking unsteadily, Big strode up to the tree and placed a hand on some of the damaged bark Rois' feet scraped up and then looked up right at her with a low growl. "You, bitch! Who's with you? WHAT is with you? I'll chew on your guts while you watch for what you did to them!" Big was getting more worked up by the second and gripping the tree fiercely with his clawed hands. It would be a small effort for Big to get up to where she climbed, even Rois figured that.

Desperate, Rois clenched the hat like some kind of safety blanket and cried out with her now hoarse voice "I'm alone! I've been up here! Go away!" Big was not satisfied with the answer, as if any answer could've pleased him, and stabbed at the tree with his claws and started climbing.

"Jay, Marks, Ed and Halford, they were my pack half an hour ago and now they are all dead. This is your doing, and you're gonna pay for it." Rois realized that she had not climbed up nearly as high as she thought. Big was almost close enough to make a grab at her dangling legs, but she only had enough energy to tuck them up and get ready to kick at him. "Back off!" It was a weak threat, and ignored.

As Bigs black clawed hand reached up to grab at her leg, Rois crawled out farther on to the branch like a caterpillar, eyes wide and fearful. In Rois' peripheral vision a dark shape emerged through the mist below and she bit back an audible response- it was the hat guy! Big did not notice him, not until it was too late. One pertinent detail she did not see before was that the hat guy had a big fucking weapon.

With a nimble leap, far beyond what your average man could do, hat guy grabbed Big's ankle and ripped him off the tree like a bug. Bigs had only a second to react as he landed on his ass, raising his hands up defensively and snarling "NO!" There was clear recognition in his expression and his features remained stuck that way as, in one clean movement, hat guy separated his head from his shoulders and kicked it away like a soccer ball.

Big's corpse lay there twitching as hat guy casually looked up at Rois, who was white as a ghost and gaping like a fish, and held out his free hand "Thanks for holding my hat, darlin'. You can come down now, It ain't safe here."

Rois was ashen faced and feeling sick as she couldn't help but stare the corpse, ignoring her savior until he tactfully stepped in front of it and gave his hand a wiggle, eyebrows raising slightly. Being cut off from the sight helped, and Rois looked dimly at him for a moment before tossing his hat to him as best she could. He caught the hat easily and placed it back on his head with a warm, white toothed smile. "That's better darlin', come on now. Need a hand? Just jump down and I'll catch." He placed his weapon down, balancing it on the side of his leg so he could still grab it while standing, and raised his hands up to catch her.

"Yes, thank you." Taking a slow breath and trying very hard to ignore the stench of death that wafted upwards, Rois slowly lowered herself from the branch until she was hanging by her arms and then let go. There was no reason not to trust this man right now, he just saved her life. He caught her deftly by the waist and planted her on the ground briskly, picking up his weapon and warily looking around with vivid blue eyes. Standing face to face with him this time, Rois took in his features intently, focusing on him to not think about the cooling corpse a foot away. He had short brown hair under the hat, a dark blue coat that was looking ragged and bloodstained, a white t-shirt that was also torn and filthy and his beard had a little bit of white in it.

"You have a lot of questions right now I'm sure, so do I," He tapped her upper arm lightly to make sure she was actually hearing what he was saying instead of just staring blankly "but right now you need to follow me and keep as quiet as you can, we're not safe. I'm holed up not far from here, lets go darlin'."

Rois didn't argue, nodding quickly and keeping her eyes locked on his back as they started walking, if he had some answers she was going to do whatever was necessary to get them. If that included having to go to the bat cave or wherever, then fine. There were several times where, in the fading fog, he gestured to stay still, watching dark shapes move in the distance and waiting minutes before moving again. By the time they reached a large grassy incline, Rois didn't know if she was going to make it up. Thankfully, her savior stopped at the base of the hill and crouched down, feeling around for something until he slipped his hand into the dirt and lifted the grass, and dirt it was attached to, up like a flap. A hole big enough for someone of his width to crawl into was there and she couldn't see very far into it.

Losing patience with her staring, he made a quick gesture for her to start moving her ass and she looked at him warily for a moment before complying. Crawling on her scraped hands and sore knees was torturous, but soon she had gone far enough in to be followed by him and what little light had been coming through the entrance was snuffed when he crawled in backwards and pulled the flap of grass down again.

Without sight to guide her, Rois ran her hands over everything ahead of her and settled for moving a few more feet and sitting against a cool earthy wall with a tired huff, closing her red eyes wearily. A grunt and scraping sound made her quirk a brow until it dawned on her that he was putting something heavy in the way of the entrance, maybe a rock. Rois was not sure whether that was comforting or not.

"It has occurred to me that I forgot to give you my name, it's Benny." His voice was muffled and there was some shuffling, but he did manage to not bump into her at all. When he spoke again it sounded like he had come to sit across from her, making the size of this place bigger than she had first expected. "And yours is?"

With a start Rois realized what he was asking and chimed in automatically, maybe her mind was just thankful for some kind of normalcy at this point "I'm Rois, thank you for the save back there." With a quick thought she held her hand out for a shake and was surprised when he grasped it and gave a firm squeeze. _So he can see fine in the dark._

"My pleasure. Couldn't let some werewolf mutts tear up a little lady like you, after all." Benny chuckled mirthfully, much more relaxed now that he didn't need to watch out for anything.

Rois' eyes popped open and widened incredulously.. "I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. Werewolves? Benny, where am I? And, if I may ask, what are you? These past few hours have been nothing but confusing and, quite frankly, scary as hell." Rois waited while rubbing absently at her sore legs.

Benny studied her profile in the dark quietly as he thought about how and where to even start answering her questions. She was completely disheveled, but her heart rate had slowed to a relaxed thumping, no longer racing like a horse and reminding him of the hunger that plagued him on earth. Her blood had since dried or been caked over by the dirt she was sitting against, but Benny was still thankful that there was no true hunger in Purgatory, it smelled delicious. She had straight reddish brown hair that was almost past her shoulder blades, dark green eyes with a thick rim around the iris, giving her a naturally piercing stare that she was leveling in what she thought was his direction while waiting for his delayed response. Her clothing was simple: a black sleeveless t-shirt, some pretty casual gray sweatpants and her feet were bare. Making up his mind, Benny responded.

"One question at a time, sugar. I have some of my own as well."

"Fair enough."

"First things first. You are in Purgatory, monster heaven. All those monsters you've read or heard about over the years? Yeah, odds are most of them are real." Benny took a little pleasure in watching her distressed look, entertainment was so sparse in Purgatory and he'd been all but wild for so long now.

"Humans ain't supposed to come here, their souls go elsewhere- heaven and hell. So you being here, that is not normal. My turn. How did you die?"

With a grimace, Rois mumbled with her hoarse voice "I was camping with my best friends, Mary and Lisa. We were out in the woods, everything was fine, but we split up to get some fire wood and that is when Mary disappeared. I went to look for her and then heard Lisa scream." Pausing for a second, clearly upset, Rois rubbed at her eyes angrily when they teared up. "I ran back as fast as I could, I had my hatchet in hand, and I saw Lisa disintegrate in front of his tall guy in a suit. The guy grabbed for me and I hit him in the head with the hatchet, then ran as fast I could. He caught up, though. I cornered myself at a cliff and he grabbed me again. I started to feel like I was burning, and I couldn't look away from his eyes. I tripped him up and sent both of us over the cliff and as we fell I saw myself crumbling away. I felt like I had been detached from myself and there was this white light that he was absorbing, then we hit the ground and in a blink I was here with him. That is everything, I swear."

Benny watched her emotions and gestures as she described her experience, frowning. When it was clear that she had finished, he chimed in. "Truth is, I don't know much about other monsters. I'd be lying if I said I had any idea what that guy was and what he did. Normally if you see someone here you just kill and don't bother asking questions." For a moment he scratched his stubble thoughtfully as her face fell, like someone had kicked her puppy. "Doesn't mean we can't find him though." she perked back up immediately, making him smirk. "As for what I am? Why, I'm a vampire honey." He was glad she couldn't see his hurt expression when he heard her heart rate spike in fear. "Haven't taken a sip of you yet, have a little faith would you? There is no hunger in Purgatory and I swore off drinking people a long time ago, even before I died."

Rois let out a small laugh, giving him a surprise. "A vampire, eh? Are we talking count Dracula or more like Blade vampires?" Straightening her legs out, Rois leaned against the wall and linked her fingers together over her stomach, smiling so genuinely Benny could see it in her eyes.

"Don't know about this Blade character, but definitely not Dracula darlin'. Don't matter anyway. Surprised you didn't ask but I'll tell you, there is a way out of Purgatory for humans." This Rois character was certainly not Dean, there was no suspicion in her eyes, just pure hope. Her mouth even dropped open slightly.

"What? But I'm dead."

"Yeah, sounds like you either splattered or got dusted too, but you'll either be whole when you get out or you'll get your ticket to heaven or hell. Have you been a good girl?"

"I'm no angel, but I don't think I'm hell-worthy either. I'm just a nerd who likes gaming and the outdoors." Rois smirked.

"Ah, youths these days." Benny quipped easily.

"Youth? I'm 26 and dead, I hardly feel youthful at this point. What are you then? You didn't look that old, maybe your 40s? I saw that gray in your beard." Chuckling softly, Rois tapped her chin where she saw the gray on him teasingly.

"Try somewhere around 250, you stop counting after a while."

"Jesus."

"Wasn't old enough to see him, lets not exaggerate too much here darlin'."

As much fun as it was to just sit and talk, Benny decided to steer the conversation back where it needed to go. "Anyway. I know where the portal is and, for getting you there, you can take me back with you."

"That sounds simple. Which means it can't possibly be that simple, right?"

"Well I do have to get you there alive somehow. Otherwise yes, it is. A nick on your arm, a few words and you can hump my soul to the other side."

"A soul train. Awesome." Maybe she was like Dean after all. "As for getting me there alive, if I can rest a bit and then get my hands on a weapon I can be not quite worthless. I do have some experience in fighting; Not for my life of course, but you work with what you've got..." Benny rolled his eyes.

"You can rest for a while. As for weaponry, I'd rather you didn't try. Better you just keep close or hide like you did before while I take care of it." Her dislike of that was clear, but he was given a grudging nod.

"Good girl. Rest up, I'll keep watch."

Rois was already closing her tired red eyes again, chin dipping down against her chest as she mumbled "Thank you, Benny." and entered an exhausted sleep.

Benny watched as she slept. It was strange how he kept bumping into humans and how they complicated his existence even in death, but he wouldn't have it any other way. At least he had found a few humans over time who didn't try to kill him immediately, not like all monsters in Purgatory. He couldn't even have temporary friends here. Sighing and fingering the hilt of his curved bone and ebony weapon, he thought on where to go from here and what path would be best to get to the portal. It had been hard to get Dean and Sam to the portal and they had exceptional fighting ability and experience. Rois had none of the above, he was risking his neck for no reason other than a chance at Earth again.

Rois' heart betrayed how long it really took her to fall into a deep sleep and when it finally calmed to a very slow rhythmic thumping it began to spike and race, setting Benny on edge as he watched her writhe in a nightmare and pant like she was running for her life again.

When a cool hand clasped over her mouth, Rois came awake with a jump and a muffled yell, flailing her hands at Benny's hand until she realized what was going on, half closing her eyes and thumping her head back against the soft earth behind it with a sigh.

"Sorry about the hand darlin', needed to wake you up and didn't want you screaming for every boogeyman to hear."

"I understand, thanks. Think that is about all the sleep I'll be getting anyways. Should we get moving?" Planting her hands on either side of her, Rois rose to a kneeling position as Benny backed up so they wouldn't bash faces.

"Yeah, 'bout that time. Wont be able to hole up anywhere for long with you, you're like a beacon in this place." _Or a special snack_, that went without saying.

Benny pulled the big rock out of the way of the entrance with no complaint and crawled out first to check things out before gesturing for Rois to follow. Even the dim gloom of Purgatory felt bright after however many hours of perfect darkness and she was left blinking owlishly when she crawled out of the hole and stood up. As soon as the hideout was hidden again, Benny was gripping his crude weapon grimly and keeping a vigilant eye out, all business. His pace was brisk, but the pain Rois had felt before her rest was dull and she couldn't help but think it had something to do with the nature of the place itself.

They were trudging through a murky swamp, not long after Benny decapitated a Shapeshifter who tried to lure Rois away by looking like him while he was scouting the area, when Benny started talking. "So, Rois. Never heard a name like that, where do you come from?" Rois appreciated his calm voice, maybe he realized she was a bundle of nerves and getting more wired by the minute.

"Just from a baby book I think. Read up about it once, it either means Rose in Gaelic or Horse in Irish, something like that." Both of them chuckled amiably "I'm actually Canadian, born and raised in Ontario."

"Huh, a Canadian. Never been up there, I was from Louisiana."

"Oh cool, you definitely have an accent."

Their conversation died off as they trudged out of the swamp, moving up a slow incline of leaf littered grass. The trees around them were lined up so nice, as if they had been planted like that, to make something like a corridor into the dark forest ahead. Unfortunately the stench of decay and half eaten, rotting bodies littered the way up as well. Benny and Rois were on high alert as they trudged, Rois keeping as close to Benny's back as she could without stepping on his shoes. There wasn't much else to do but try and not vomit.

Stepping out from behind each tree all around them were perfect, silent copies of a warmly smiling Benny. The broad vampire himself was not saying anything, or stopping either. Nervous, Rois piped up. "Benny, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah. Doppelganger. Can copy what it sees and also what's in your head. Likes to pick things you're afraid of." There was an accusation in his tone that she did not miss. "But they are weak, it won't attack."

"There's only one?"

"Yeah, can hear its heart."

"That is becoming a very underrated ability." Rois was poised to say more, but the shape of each Benny slowly transformed. Benny actually stopped for a second to gawk and she bumped into him.

"Are you really afraid of that?"

"It's from Ghostbusters..." Rois defended weakly. The stay puft marshmallow man did not follow them any farther.


	4. Chapter 3

In the days that followed, watching every monster that ever bumped in the night get beheaded or chopped to pieces savagely while simultaneously ducking, hiding, running for cover and screaming herself hoarse became a long, nightmarish blur for Rois. There was a darkness working at the corners of her sight, a deepening of shadows that seemed altogether more terrifying than any monster she had the displeasure of meeting yet. Rois questioned Benny about it during a moment of respite when she was giving herself a half-assed splashing of water at a dark stream.

"That means night is comin', darlin'. You don't want to see what happens in this place during the night, hopefully we get to the portal before then." Benny's genuine concern was scary.

"So, there is no normal day and night? Just this gloom and then some super nightmare darkness?"

"You could say that."

"I want a weapon."

"For starters sugar, you're more dangerous to yourself with a weapon than the monsters are. Second, weapons aren't common, I can't just _find_ one. Third..." Benny trailed off, turning to glare at Rois as she stuck her head into the river and scrubbed away at her face and hair, literally drowning him out. Straightening up and wringing her hair out as best she could before tossing it back over her shoulders, Rois turned to look at Benny, all business. "Guess we better get moving, where to?"

"We follow the river, it's the fastest route. Wouldn't do it if I knew night wasn't coming, since it is more dangerous, but like I said... You do not want to see this place at night darlin'."

Rois had already made up her mind about a weapon, she wasn't going to cling to Benny and hope he didn't get beheaded all the time. It made no sense to be defenseless, whether he agreed or not. There was no point arguing about it though, so she trudged after him with a new determination.

For Rois, her opportunity to prove herself came sooner than later. Her and Benny were walking beside the river still, but just ahead 4 men in varying states of dress strolled out of the woods and spread across a shallow section of the river, facing them silently.

Fingering his blade thoughtfully, Benny gestured for Rois to hang back as he started to cautiously approach them. "Welcoming committee?"

Each man grinned at him in return and Rois saw a full row of needle-like teeth slide into place over their normal human teeth, that was a first.

"Consorting with humans again, Benny? The Old Man sends his regards." All of them snarled, including Benny, and battle was joined. They moved at a pace that Rois' eyes could barely keep up with and it was nerve-racking. Her jittery reflex to look around was the only thing that spared her head. A wiry man with another mouthful of needle teeth was grinning and taking a free swing with a weapon and she ducked reflexively, avoiding the deadly blow.

Fighting and killing were cathartic after dedicating himself to getting this girl out of Purgatory safe, especially lackeys of The Old Man. Benny was one with the flow of battle, dodging, parrying, pressing his own attack and whittling them down until only one remained. The blond stumbled back from Benny, looking at his now headless counterparts staining the river red, and tried to make a run for it. He did not get far.

Walking back through the treeline and across the river, it was a shock when he saw Rois standing over a headless corpse of her own with a crude blade, similar to what he had when he met Dean, clenched in her shaking hands. Her breath was coming in heaves and her limbs were shaking, with excitement or shock he had no idea, and her heart was going full blast, practically hammering into his brain with its thumping. As he approached, he held up a hand in a peaceful gesture like she was some kind of wounded animal, Rois glared.

Huffing from his own exertions, Benny retracted his fangs- she was bound to see them sometime or another anyway, too late to regret that. "Take it easy darlin', you did good. Sorry I wasn't there."

Rois stance was defensive and her voice wary "I earned this," she shook her new weapon slightly for emphasis "and you wont be taking it. Just so we are clear."

"Fair 'nuff. We need to get moving again though. Not too banged up?" He could smell her blood, sweet like some kind of dessert in comparison to all the vampire blood flowing through the river and stones around them, but nothing seemed serious.

"I'm fine, lets get moving." Rois grunted, mind attempting to process everything that had just happened. She knew Benny was a vampire of course, but the teeth were so far off from anything humanity had thought up it was a bit of a shocker. "So, they knew you. Vampires?"

"Yeah. Got a bit of a name for myself down here."

"Your teeth looked different than theirs."

"It's not polite to stare, darlin'."

"And it's dumb to not take note of everything you can when you are in the most messed up situation possible, Cujo."

"Cujo?"

"Well if I get all these cute endearing nicknames, I figure you should get a few of your own." Rois made a face as she stepped in a chunky meat pile, quickly giving her foot a swish in the river before catching up.

"Right, well they are just baby vampires. Everything gets a bit more pronounced as you get older I guess."

"_Baby_ vampires?" Incredulous, she couldn't help but frown. "So I just committed infanticide? Not sure how I feel about that, even if he was going to eat me..."

"Sugar, monster babies are never defenseless or weak. They aren't _real_ babies. For vampires, it is kind of like being reborn when you are made. You have all these new feelings, like the hunger, to deal with but you are stronger than you ever were when you lived. So don't feel bad about chopping off a head, not for a second- yours is worth more." It was a tidy end to their conversation and Rois saw no need to draw it out, they got back to being vigilant and keeping as fast a pace as was reasonable. Benny was also thinking over what happened, in his own way.

Benny set their pace, and when Rois was too tired they stopped so she could rest. He kept watch during this time, not needing sleep at all, and if he knew there was a safe place to hole up in the area he made sure they were there first. The portal was not far now but night wasn't either, it was a growing concern. At least the girl had proven capable of defending herself in a tight situation, though he had yet to ask her how she managed to kill the vampire- by all rights she should have been juiced.

Night was coming and both earthly and unearthly sounds started to chorus all around them, throughout all of Purgatory. Monsters hunting monsters, howling, snarling, screaming and every other terrible noise Rois could imagine and then some. They were sheltered under an earthy roof, the roots of an ancient behemoth of a tree holding it all together, with a river running thin and shallow beside them. It was not an ideal spot, but their backs were covered at least.

"Sit for a few minutes but then we're goin' again sugar. The portal is within a mile of here and full night is coming, might even be here before we reach it." Benny looked strained, Rois looked worse. Violence was escalating and spilling into their path continually, if there was ever a not safe time to rest in one place, this was it.

"Lets not stop then, I'm keen on leaving. To tell you the truth, Benny, I've always sucked at first person shooters." That got her a weird questioning look, and she smiled because he didn't get it, but he let it slide. Rois got up from her crouched position with a sore grunt and trudged after Benny, the sense of freedom and safety being so close giving her a second wind.

It was only a mile and they ran into 2 Rugaru who were tearing each other apart, what may have been a mummy and something that had to do with spider webs, Benny had to work to catch up with Rois after she had ran screaming from that one, but there seemed to be a calm over the area they entered. As if it was some kind of sacred space, the duo did not encounter any further monsters.

"I feel weird, like I've had a balloon rubbed all over my hair. You feel that?"

"No, but we should see the portal soon. Maybe it just has that effect on human souls."

When they cleared past some truly massive trees, were there any that weren't massive here?- Benny and Rois paused side-by-side to look at the rocky outcropping that presented itself. Rois' skin felt like there was electricity running through it and she was smiling with excitement.

"This is it, isn't it? What do we have to do?" Bouncing on the balls of her feet, it took a few seconds to register that Benny was not speaking and to actually look at him. An icy look, coupled with a decidedly upset frown, was what greeted her. He had turned slightly, entering that easy fighting pose that she had become familiar with seeing him in but not directed at her.

"Whats wrong?" Rois had the good grace to step backwards slightly, squeezing her own weapon for comfort in her confusion.

"It's not here. You played me, sugar." Benny was raising his weapon up and pointing at her with it, taking a threatening step forwards as she took one backwards "You ain't human."

Nervous laughter trickled out of Rois as she shook her head, stepping away from Benny quickly and walking towards the rocky wall, what the hell did it matter if he killed her if the portal wasn't there? "No, I'm a human and you know it. Played you? Have you lost your marbles? You're the one who found _me_! You knew damn well I was a human when you did!" Rois wasn't sure if Benny was following but she started to make her way around and up the outcropping, following the thrumming of energy she could feel. Only when she was huffing and puffing and stomping up to the peak was she stopped by a cold hand on her shoulder. Without so much as flinching Rois stopped and broke down, whispering "Where is it? I want to go home."

Squeezing threateningly, Benny turned Rois to face him roughly and snarled as his fangs came down, making sure she saw. "I kept my end of the deal and you didn't, I should drink you dry- that is the only thing you can give me." Dropping his weapon, Benny swatted hers out of hand when she tried to take a halfhearted swipe at him. As both his hands clasped her shoulders, squeezing too tight, Rois refrained from struggling and looked at him with teary eyes. "I can't survive here, I'm no monster, and if I can't get out then this will be a kindness. So, thanks."

Her heartbeat was wild, even if she was keeping herself physically in check, Benny was too angry to care. He'd been lied to after he tried his best to protect her and get her out of here. With a quick jerk she was pulled up against him and his mouth connected to the junction of skin where neck met shoulder and he bit down hard, more than enough to part her skin and the meaty flesh underneath. Shouting in pain, Rois hit at his chest and tried to kick him with her legs, but he held her too close for any good hits, not that they would have done anything either way.

Red hot pumping human blood, tinged with terror, was flowing into his mouth and it tasted like the finest meal he'd ever had, filling him with a raw power that he had not experienced since being in his old nest, before Andrea. Digging in harder and snarling in pleasure, Benny gorged himself as Rois' batting at his chest became erratic, slower from blood loss. As he was filled with warmth and strength and she was drained of it, Benny thought on how this might really be the tastiest human blood he'd ever had. A little part of him cried: _Human blood._ He stopped cold, blinking out of the haze of blood lust. _She is human._

Rois was tired, cold and numb. When Benny bit down her will to live came rushing back and she fought, scratched rents through the front of his shirt and kneed at him for all she was worth, but it was too late. His teeth were in and he wasn't moving. _This is still one of the nicer ways to die here_, she thought. It felt like she was floating now, unpleasant dizziness making her head spin, but she was too tired to open her eyes. Was he done? Was she dying finally? Rois didn't know, she just slipped quietly into darkness.

Benny gathered Rois up into his arms, carrying her in one and brandishing his weapon with the other, he had no choice but to leave behind hers. _You've made a mess out of this_. He thought to himself accusingly. Of course she was human, something was wrong and they needed to find out what, but he had to go and blow his top over it. Standing where the portal should be with her in his arms, Benny watched night settle in with a sinking feeling in his gut. There was no other choice now, he couldn't fight off what was coming while trying to keep Rois alive, her heartbeat was weak enough without being jostled and possibly thrown around in a fight.

_Mama, I've gone and made a mess. You helped me once before, now I'm askin' for your help again. I am sorry. _Standing still and pressing an apologetic kiss to Rois' forehead, Benny waited and hoped.

It was too long. There would be no answer from her. Benny could see the multiple pairs of eyes and bodies of creatures creeping through the woods towards him and Rois. Between the smell of blood, her yelling in anger and then pain, it was more than enough to bring down the house. Looking down at the limp body in his arm, Benny sighed resignedly. He could leave her, but he was the one who took away any ability to defend herself that she had, so he wouldn't. Kneeling down, Rois was placed gently on the rocky soil where the portal would normally be if a human soul was in Purgatory. Picking up her weapon and brandishing them in both hands, scrabbling and panting from behind were his last warning before the battle was joined. Benny spun to meet his assailants and grinned, fangs and all. He was in better form than he'd been in many, many years, thanks to Rois' _donation_.- He'd make them all work for it.

Knee deep in twitching corpses, roaring and thrashing at any who dared climb up the cliff from behind or run up the path from the front, a voice invaded his mind like a punch to the gut. _Fight. Win. Come if you survive. _Heaving in a strained gasp, Benny almost lost his head from the shock before being filled with new resolve. _She heard. _His aggressor, some tree-like monster, was pressing him back towards Rois' prone form with its long reach and surprisingly sharp stick-like fingers.

Snarling, Benny carved one of its arms clean off and stepped into the now safe area closer to it. From there he drove both his blades into either side of its weird trunk as it let out a hollow shriek. With the blades wedged into its sides Benny heaved and flung it overhead, dislodging the blades at the height of the throw where it went crashing off the cliff to smash into woody pieces below. A tense silence filled the immediate area, his fight was over for now. Shrieks and howls still called out across the treetops though, night was in full swing and he had a body in delicate condition to haul. As he knelt beside Rois to gather her up in his arm again, Benny froze and let out a pained growl as her voice invaded his mind.

_Mountains. __Come__. _A sharp tugging sensation in his chest almost knocked him over onto Rois, but he caught himself and gathered her up as fast and carefully as he could. It was dangerous, but he put his weapon across her chest and used both his arms so he could cradle her tight and run without her body lolling around roughly. With the dull ache in his chest Benny made a run in the direction his guide had pulled him, keeping close track of Rois' heartbeat while the ragged wound he bit into her squished with each movement and fueled his guilt.

More times than he cared to count, Benny had to double back, circle around and avoid in general some big melees that had broken out. All while Rois' pulse continued to flicker weakly. Several times he had to hide her and kill creatures that had picked up their scent, namely hers, and clear the way.

Two days time passed with Rois' condition unchanged when Benny came upon another good hiding spot, a more dug out cave with a boulder to close the way. Laying her body down briefly, Benny shrugged off his shredded jacket and laid it out before moving her on top of it and wrapping her up. Unable to give her warmth above room temperature with his own dead body, he rubbed her arms and legs for friction heat until she had enough to be warm inside the jacket at least. Gathering her up, Benny sat against the cold rock wall of the cave and sat her in his lap, laying her legs over his and having her lean back on his body for some cushion.

Carefully, as if she was made of glass, Benny brushed the tangled hair out of her face in a tender gesture and mumbled. "I'm sorry girl. I'll do everything I can to fix this and get you out of here, you just gotta hold on for me darlin'. We're almost there, help ain't far." Pulling his coat back from her neck, Benny checked the state of the bite wound and felt a twinge of pride when it seemed to be healing, although slowly. Purgatory was not like Earth, she would not die so long as her heart kept going and there was no fear of infection.

Resting his chin on top of her head, Benny allowed himself to relax- at least for a few minutes. "You did what you could to survive in this hell, you aren't weak. I don't get your jokes, but you're alright in my book darlin'." He continued to make idle one-sided conversation with her while resting until a fierce, painful tug at his chest signaled it was time to go again. He let her keep the coat for now.


	5. Chapter 4

Benny pushed himself hard, the journey lead ever upwards into the thickly wooded foothills of a mountain region he had never ventured into before. By the time he had trudged up a steep incline, soft soil giving away under his feet with each step, even his vampire stamina was flagging. It was a relief then to see a yawning chasm open before him. It was natural, created when Purgatory itself was willed into existence, and so cavernous Benny could only see darkness inside. There was a smell too, beyond the usual stench of death and decay, that raised the hairs on his neck. The throbbing in his chest ceased however, and he knew with clarity that this was his destination.

Giving Rois' unconscious body a reassuring squeeze, Benny strode into the darkness and followed a winding tunnel, broad and high enough to drive a truck through, downwards until there was a sharp change in temperature. Wary, Benny peered around a sharp corner and was rewarded with seeing a massive gathering of monsters. The cavern was uncomfortably hot, and Benny had no idea what they were until he saw it- Leathery wings, scales, the whole nine yards. A dragon was resting off to the side, out of the way of its companions. Were it not for the summons that lead him there, Benny would have obeyed his instincts to run like hell.

Eyes started to turn towards him and his cargo as he cautiously stepped into the room, the gentle hum of conversation dying off with each footstep. His fangs were itching to come down, to be aggressive, but his cool logic reigned. A willowy woman with crimson slitted eyes approached him and made a placating gesture. "You've come to speak with Mother?" Benny inclined his head slightly, glancing around nervously "Follow me, she has been waiting for you." Her smile was not kind, and Benny heard audible sniffing as he was lead away.

"We covet virgins you know, but she will not be harmed so long as Mother wills it." His guide chuckled softly.

"A virgin? Oh..." He was not sure if he could have felt guiltier for what he did, but there it was.

Down a much narrower corridor, a left or two later and Benny was stepping through a maw-like opening into another chamber. Massive stalactites connected floor to ceiling all around, the trickle and dripping of water into pools and air flowing like a breathing beast made it all seem oddly alive and flowing, not like the rest of Purgatory and its mostly static state. His guide had turned and walked past him almost right away, leaving him and Rois waiting in the dark. There was a presence here, familiar and terrific, but no different than the last time he had experienced it.

"Put her down, let her rest." A soft voice sighed, he complied but was not compelled to- he knew full well she was capable of that. "Walk with me, Benny, I wish to talk with you." When Rois, and his weapon, were placed gently on the hard ground he walked further into the cavern. Coming to a stop at a large, dark pool, he was not surprised to look into the reflection of the water and see her standing there beside him. Eve, the Mother.

"Mama." He uttered, turning to look down at the unfamiliar face of a young woman with wavy brown hair and a calm gaze.

"I told you son," her smile was sad as she reached up and placed a hand on his stubbled cheek, soothing with her thumb "humans will always cause problems for you- they are not the answer. But they do tend to find you, don't they? She's a sweet girl, and I know you have feelings for her. I'll tell you what I told you before, Benny. All mothers want their children to be happy, I want that for you." Closing his eyes, he sighed and tilted his head to her hand.

He was standing at the edge of a massive, dark lake the first time he met Eve. She had appeared beside him in the reflection of the water and he attacked, but with a word she compelled him still and they had words; That was how he learned the spell to leave Purgatory. Being in her presence was a humbling thing and there was a power that radiated from her, maybe just because of her sheer age.

Benny need not actually say anything, she already knew what the problem was. "You tried to leave home again, save the girl and get back to Earth. But she can't leave, and you hurt her." Eves chuckle was a soft, tinkling noise as she started to walk back towards Rois with Benny in tow. "She is just a human, it's true. Humans are not my children, and it is your nature to hunt and hurt them Benny." He kept a few steps back while Eve came to stand beside Rois, looking down at her like one might inspect an insect.

"I have no real hate of humanity, you know. All of my children have come from humans and require them to exist for sustenance, further perpetuation of their own race, so on." Clasping her hands in front of herself serenely, Eve looked from Rois to Benny then, a small frown on her full lips. "The creature that killed this human and brought her here is not one of my children. It was an aberration that consumed souls, denying them their afterlife so that it could continue its own existence on Earth. It doomed itself to Purgatory by consuming the souls of my children, and when it died it was consuming this girl, Rois."

Like a predator circling its prey Eve circled Rois as she spoke, thoughtful. "She was not fully consumed, her soul broke away- but it took a piece of his. That is what dragged her here." Benny found it a hard meal to digest, she really didn't belong here.

"How can I help?"

"Shh." Against his will, Benny closed his mouth and fell silent. You don't talk out of turn with your Mother, especially not this one.

"You could turn her, you know. Have a real companion here to hunt with, my vampire children were not meant to hunt alone, I see how you suffer." She raised a hand in a placating gesture, smiling slightly at his rising panic. "Don't fear. You've never fully accepted your gift, I understand. However, anything that happens to change her in this place will not truly change her soul, she is already dead. That in mind, I have a plan. You may go wait with my other children Benny, and behave yourself." He felt chilled as his body started to walk back towards the entrance of the caverns, his mind fighting so hard to stop, to protect Rois from what was coming. This was not what he wanted, but like most pivotal moments in his existence he was powerless to stop it.

By the time Benny had walked back up to the congregation of dragons he was heaving from the mental strain of trying to not obey, to break the command. Many pairs of red eyes settled on him as he came to a stop- gritting his teeth when a long scream, hollowed out by distance, echoed up the tunnel he just walked out of.

"Where am I?"

"Dreaming. Dancing that fine line between life and death."

"So all of this really did happen then, and Benny?"

"He almost killed you, should have really, but he has never fully embraced the gift he was given. Some of my children are like that."

Rois was looking into the face of an unfamiliar woman as they both stood in the middle of the camp she had ran away from what felt like ages ago. Their surroundings were glowing with the last light of dusk but she felt cold.

"Your children?"

"I am Eve, the mother of all monsters." Her smile was warm, but there was something off-putting about her entire demeanor, like being in the presence of a big predator when there is no safety glass.

"I was awake sometimes. Benny was taking me somewhere, to you?" Eve nodded, confirming.

Rois looked around slowly before settling her gaze back on Eve. "Well Eve, it is good to meet you I suppose?" She smiled nervously. "What happens now?"

"I am going to make you an instrument of vengeance. You will kill your killer, avenge your friends and my children, and then leave this place and never return."

"And Benny?"

"What about him? He will stay by your side and try to leave for Earth once again, I don't even need to read minds to know that."

"Can I help him?"

"Maybe, maybe not. That is beyond my ability to divine, and entirely up to you." Eves gaze sharpened, the corners of her lips curling into a little smile. "Are you ready?" Rois did not have time to answer. Eve was directly in front of her and placing a warm hand against the bite wound on her shoulder before her eyes caught up with what was happening. That was when the agony started.

After a while Benny gave up struggling, opting for distraction instead. With a little glancing around he found the willowy dragon who had guided him before and strode over to her.

"You should not fight her, Mother is sacred to all of her children."

"I put that human girl in there, I was protecting her and I failed." Bennys voice was sharp, he could not physically vent his anger here and it came through his words instead.

"Forgive me if I don't weep for your little virgin. All dragons serve the Mother, guard her and are the physical manifestations of her will. Your friend is our food and Mother is our concern, nothing more."

_Damn religious zealots- can't even escape them here. _Benny thought bitterly. "I don't know how hunting and killing each other for eternity could be considered heaven, but even Mama knows I'm an odd duck." Disgusted with himself and everyone in sight, Benny turned and made for the mouth of the cavern- if only to cut off the many pairs of eyes glaring at him. There were no more screams.

Some time had gone by and a few dragons had come and gone, giving him threatening looks every time they passed. Benny was running a hand through his hair in frustration, he had lost his hat during the mad dash to get here, but froze when the thrumming of a familiar heart came into his hearing range. He was not facing the mouth of the cave, wasn't strong enough to face it, so he stood there and listened as she got closer. Her feet scuffed against earth lightly, not as heavy as before, breathing even, heart rate increasing as she got closer, nervous.

"Those were dragons."

"Yeah."

"I wonder if you can see what I can, is this what being beyond human is like?" Guilt stabbed at him and she paused.

"Look at me, Benny."

Reluctant but ever polite, he slowly turned to face her. She had his coat folded over one arm neatly, his weapon tucked under her armpit, and as far as he could see, smell and hear she was perfectly healthy, radiant in comparison to what she was- even when she first arrived. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Rois. I am very sorry." Her brows pinched together firmly and she made a gesture for him to stop with her free hand.

"I believe you, and I forgave you before you had even taken your teeth out, alright? I would have lost my shit too if I was in your situation." Benny couldn't hide his incredulous expression. "My soul is still human, Eve made it very clear I'd be leaving Purgatory when this is over and done with. There is nothing done to me that will not be reversed. Here's your coat and your sword thing." Stepping forwards with a determined look, she held the coat to him and he looked at it for a moment before taking it and shrugging it on quickly. It was like getting his skin back on, he didn't know how much more naked he felt without it until it was back. After that she handed him back his weapon and he felt complete again.

"Thanks girl." He was the first to smile and she returned it easily. "You're welcome, and thank you too. You lost your hat?" Rois had grown to appreciate how it looked on him. "Yeah but it was lose the hat or lose you, darlin'." They both chuckled and Rois closed in to give him a tight hug which he returned warmly.

When they let each other go, Rois stayed close and looked up at him seriously "Alright. We need to get moving soon so humor me for a minute, kay?"

"Yeah, what is it darlin'?" He gave her a curious look, eyebrows quirked.

"Squeeze my hand." Sticking her hand out for a shake he took it reluctantly, confused. "Alright." He clasped her hand like he was giving her a hand shake and she shook her head quickly. "_Squeeze_ Benny." Shrugging, he slowly squeezed harder and harder, watching her expression. Her lip curled mockingly. "That all you got?"

He frowned then and gave her hand a sharp squeeze, to which she all but squealed and batted at his hand for him to stop. "Ah!" Once her hand was free she held it to her chest, hopped from foot to foot and then shook it out. She quickly held out her other hand.

"Darlin', I don't want to hurt your hands."

"I said humor me, Benny. Try and hit my hand." Her voice was a bit tighter, having your hand nearly crushed would do that to you.

His first halfhearted swipe was deftly avoided, and her lips curled into a grin. Catching on to what was going on, Benny chuckled. "Really? You're checking, you don't _know?_" Another swipe at her hand, much quicker, but no closer to hitting than the first.

"Not physically, no. I don't know what all happened but there are a few obvious things, this will come in handy though." Laughing softly, she tilted her head and watched as he tried a few more ever faster swipes, always avoiding by a hair. "It's like you're moving in slow motion, awesome." When his hand suddenly snapped at a speed comparable to an athlete playing slaps with a chump and grabbed her wrist firmly, she jumped in surprise.

"Darlin', everyone is special in Purgatory. Don't get cocky, or you'll get dead." His grip was firm and he was looking at her seriously. Startled, she took a moment to process the information and had to admit he was right. Everyone _was_ special in Purgatory, this was a valuable lesson. Before she could take a breath to respond however, there was a scraping and hissing from the cave behind and Benny took a slow step backwards.

"_**Leave**_." An inhuman voice rumbled so forcefully that Rois almost felt physically pushed by it. Her voice came out in a squeak. "Yes!" Benny didn't argue, he was the one that saw the dragon filling the cave entrance and the smoke rising from its nostrils.

They had dashed down the sandy decline like hell was following. Rois enjoyed a field of mobility she had never dreamed of and saw the woods closing in around them with a clarity she couldn't have had even in the best of circumstances before. Benny watched her more than the dirt he slid down, concerned.

When they entered the woods, no longer in eye shot of the cave entrance, they both stopped and looked around warily. There had been a sense of safety near the dragon cave, but that was gone. Now it was all howling, snarling danger buzzing around them again.

"You know a place we can hide in for a little while?" Rois' heart was beating quickly and she looked distinctly overwhelmed.

"Yeah. Holed up with you in a good one not far from here darlin'." Benny felt they needed to lay down some ground rules as fast as possible and in as safe an environment as possible too.

"Lead on." At least Benny was able to move at a real pace now, Rois had slowed him down considerably before but was keeping up more than fine. Much like when he made the trip carrying her, Benny lead them around and past as much fighting as he could. At one point Rois grasped his shoulder to stop him, looking around confusedly."Wait." Benny had no idea what she was on about, but listened just in case. Together they crouched down between foliage and waited.

He heard the heartbeats before the scrabbling, it quickly became clear that it was the sound of many running feet and they braced themselves as multitudes of small children ran by, chittering and shrieking wildly. Rois bit the inside of her cheek hard when a child looked in their general direction and had a mouth like a lamprey and its eye sockets were vacant. Several minutes passed before they slowly stood, Rois whispering urgently "I'll explain when we get safe, lets go."

Only when the large boulder slid into place did Benny confront Rois. "Care to explain what that was about back there, darlin'?" Rois was looking around, taking in details and how things looked in pure darkness. "Yeah, sorry. I can see things, it is hard to explain." Turning to face him, her brows were furrowed and she was frowning.

"See things?"

"Tracks. They are everywhere, it's kind of overwhelming. Old, new, hot, cold, sort of color coded. And smells! All I could smell before was those dragons so I didn't think much of it, but when we were running I smelled _everything_." Rois paused and rubbed her jaw a moment before crossing her arms. "I saw the group of footprints those little kid things made and I guessed they were circling, I didn't really know they were coming- that was just a good guess. You can't see or smell anything like that?"

Benny thought over her question while a current of darker thoughts flowed, considering the possibilities and what he could do with this unique situation.

"Not like that, no." She tilted her head and frowned as he slowly sat down, following his lead and sitting across from him. "Sight, sound, smell; Those are very enhanced senses, but sound and smell are more, ah, blood related."

"Like hearing a heart beat and smelling blood."

"Yes. Still, those senses are much better than a humans." Setting his blade to the side, Benny pulled up a leg and rested a hand on his kneecap casually. Rois raised both her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, a curious look on her face.

"Somethin' wrong darlin'?"

"I was awake sometimes, you know? I couldn't move or open my eyes, but I heard snippets." Her gaze leveled on him- not accusing, but heavy. Benny shifted, wondering how much she had heard. "Well, I never said anything I didn't mean." Rois smiled.

"What do you plan on doing when you're back on Earth, Benny?" It was an abrupt change of direction for the conversation, but he went along with it.

"Not sure darlin'. Last time I tried to fit in didn't go so well for me."

"You seem like a people person to me, is it new technology that throws you or?"

"It's like being an addict surrounded by your drug of choice."

"Oh." Benny wasn't enjoying the look of empathy he was getting.

"What's your plan then when you get back to the realm of the living darlin'?"

"I am going to make the biggest pizza my oven can hold." Rois beamed a huge smile "Then, I'm gonna eat the whole damn thing in one sitting. Of course, that is assuming I have a home or even a body to go back to. But it doesn't hurt to think about it, eh?"

Benny smirked. "That is the second time you've said "eh", I've been waiting for it."

"My friends tell me I'm not a very good Canadian, sorry." Rois sighed slowly, keeping her gaze leveled on him. "I don't know how you'd feel about it, but after all this you'd be more than welcome to stay at my place Benny. I live a good hours drive out of town, you'd be hard pressed to get much more away from people than that, if that is a concern of yours."

"You don't have to invite me to live at your place because of some sense of duty darlin'"

"I'm expressing my thanks Benny. But to tell you the truth, all my friends were murdered and they were all I had. I don't want to go back to Earth knowing there is nothing and no one there, not after all of this." Raising her hand quickly to cut him off, Rois continued. "And I'm not even talking about some kind of man and woman relationship either, I'm just talking about friendship and family. There's a long way to go before any of this matters, just think about it alright?" Rois had a pleading expression, willing him to understand, and Benny had no choice but to nod quietly. Just like that, there was a subtle change in their dynamic and his perception of her shifted. They had a working relationship here, could there be more? Was she a sister like Dean was a brother, or something else?

Sighing heavily and rubbing his face, Benny grunted. "Alright, enough of this. Time for us to get moving again," As Rois tried to stand, Benny gave her a firm poke in the chest that set her back on her ass. "but you remember this: you are surviving first and foremost, fighting only when you absolutely have to. What Eve gave you, it was just a better chance, understand?"

Pursing her lips, Rois stood up again and nodded. "Don't get cocky, I got it." She didn't mention how much it stung her pride, but Benny didn't need to read minds to see that either. He only hoped she really did listen.


	6. Chapter 5

They had agreed that backtracking to where Rois originally entered Purgatory was the safest way to start looking for her killer and begin their hunt. Benny opted to take the same route back, citing large werewolf packs roamed the hills between them and their goal. It would be best to avoid them at all costs, and that is what lead to their current predicament.

Benny was unconscious on the ground, blood blooming from his scalp where a large rock had violently connected. Clenching her crude weapon tightly in both hands, Rois was hovering over him protectively and trying to get eyes on their attacker, something that moved beyond fast.

"Benny wake up!" she hissed, forcefully shoving at his shoulder with her foot. No response. "Shit shit shit shit shit..." Whispering her little mantra, Rois was interrupted by a vicious tackle to the ground that left her face first with her weapon trapped underneath her. A heavy body was pinning her down and her nostrils were assaulted by its breath, reeking of rotting flesh, when it growled into the base of her neck.

Rois pinched her eyes closed tight, waiting for the bite that was coming. All at once there was rapid footfalls, a sharp jerk from the body on her back and the unmistakable wet crunch of a weapon passing through flesh and bone. The monsters head hit the back of her head and rolled off, Rois scrambled out from under the body that was bleeding all over her back and looked into the vacant, beady-eyed stare of her now dead attacker. It had razor sharp teeth, leathery flesh pulled tight over its skull and ragged pointed ears.

"Holy shit!" Rolling away gracelessly, Rois stumbled on hands and feet as she looked at the corpse for another second before falling back to her knees beside Benny, grabbing the front of his ratty shirt and shaking him viciously "Wake up! _Wake up!_" Relief flooded through her when Benny let out a grunt and opened his eyes blearily. Leaning away from him and taking a deep breath, Rois froze upon hearing an impatient throat clearing noise. "Rude not to acknowledge your rescuer, you know."

More alert by the second now that he was conscious, Benny made a quick grab towards where his weapon would be at his side, but realized that it was now in the hands of a wiry looking woman who had short spiky black hair, an old leather jacket and blue eyes with snake pupils. Rois turned, one knee resting on the ground, to look up at their rescuer and smiled. Too trusting. "Am I glad you came when you did!" Standing up quickly, Rois offered Benny a hand up and he took it, still a little woozy but quickly recovering. "Can't tell you how nice it is to find someone else who isn't trying to eat or kill us immediately!"

"That remains to be seen." Benny grumbled, taking a protective half-step between Rois and this unknown. She quirked a fine brow at him, unimpressed. "Save it honey. I have been hunting that Wendigo since I was breathing, it's just lucky for you I am too big a bitch to let it have a last meal." Her smile was all sharp teeth.

"Name's Samantha."

"You have my weapon, Samantha." Benny drawled, defensive.

"Fat load of good it did you, now it's mine."

Worried about the quickly escalating intensity between the two big bads, Rois intervened hastily. "Benny, you can have mine. She saved our asses and it's a small price to pay." Samantha smiled broadly and her features reverted to human, respecting Rois' attempt to defuse the situation. "So, you are clearly the brains."

"Oh, hardly. But thank you all the same. You said that thing was a Wendigo? Like, man who becomes a cannibal and mutates into a monster Wendigo?" Rois looked at the cooling corpse, feeling a chill at the thought. Benny kept his eyes on Samantha, calculating.

"Yeah, something like that. Now that he's dead, well, I guess I'm just looking for my sister now. There is safety in numbers though, I'd go the way you're going if you would welcome me."

"We'll pass."

"Benny! There's no reason not to take her, she's clearly not worthless and she could have killed the both of us while you were unconscious."

Annoyed, Benny turned to look at Rois directly, frowning. "There's no reason for her to not turn on us at any time it suits her. So, you remember that. She's your responsibility, you're watching her." He poked Rois' collarbone slightly before promptly taking her weapon and starting to walk.

Left looking at Benny's retreating back, Rois frowned as Samantha stepped up beside her fluidly. "Is he always so... Acidic?" Glancing to her new partner, Rois shook her head. "He'll warm up I think. If he doesn't leave us behind that is."

Rois kept her pace even with Samantha until they were just behind Benny. He was right- she was going to keep an eye on Samantha, that was the smart thing to do. Looking at their surroundings, she let out a little sigh of relief. "Dawn's coming, see it?"

"Yeah." Benny grunted, still nonplussed at how he once again let a third member join the crew. Rois did not seem to comprehend how this complicated things, they couldn't talk about her being human or the portal. Grinding his teeth, Benny hoped she'd be smart enough to not do that at least.

"Heading towards the river?" Samantha questioned. She had been idly tapping Benny's weapon against her leg as they walked, but otherwise keeping quiet.

"Yep, backtracking a bit." Rois murmured, her eyes were trying to keep track of all the trails she could see and still walk steady, it was almost headache inducing.

Benny was tense when they passed by the rocky rise where the portal to earth was hiding. Only when it was well out of sight did he visibly relax, Rois thought Samantha wouldn't be wise to that though; It took a while to really get his subtle shifts to read Benny. Rois chewed on her lip as she thought, considering their new partner and what information was not to be shared. "What does your sister look like, Samantha?" Looking towards their guest, Rois quirked a brow curiously.

"We're twins, she has long hair though. I'll know her when I see her." Samantha smiled, clearly liking the thought of seeing her sister again.

"Alright, just curious."

Their path was blessedly clear but Rois stopped them several times to avoid paths that were especially fresh, opting to avoid everyone they possibly could. Samantha was pleasantly surprised to find out that particular talent of Rois'. "Now that is useful, no wonder why he keeps you." They smiled at one another, all while Rois quietly thought to herself _Keep as much about yourself to yourself as you can, you know she is too._

Traveling without pause had its perks, their pace had them arriving at the wide river in good time. From there, it was not long until they found the headless corpses of their former attackers, now well into decay, remaining untouched where they had fallen. Benny paused until Rois stepped beside him and gave him a questioning look. He seemed worn, not that Rois could blame him for that, there was still some dried blood on his scalp where the wound the Wendigo gave him had closed.

"What's wrong Benny?"

"Just thinkin', sister." The endearment rolled off his tongue easily, and Benny decided he was comfortable with it.

"Speaking of sister. Name's Ashley." A new voice, familiar yet not, chimed behind them laughingly. Benny and Rois turned sharply to see that the twins had been reunited, one arm tossed over the others shoulder. Smiling easily, they each had those spread apart fangs and slit pupil eyes. Samantha remarked, her tone taking on a new coldness "You really should have listened to Benny, sweetie. You can't trust anyone but your own blood out here." Their arms slowly fell down to their sides, stepping apart to give one another room. They were both armed. Benny's weapon was in Samantha's hand and what may have been a dragons tooth strapped to a large femur made up her sister's weapon.

"Hate to say I told you so darlin'." Benny drawled casually, lips curled into an easy smile.

Rois was not taking it well. Her lips were pursed into a tight line and her voice had lowered into a tone of anger Benny had yet to hear. "I don't take kindly to being lead on."

"My heart is breaking for you, sweetie." Samantha laughed with her sister, who chimed in. "We're keeping her for a bit, right?" Licking her lips, Samantha nodded. "Oh yeah." Benny's fangs slid down and he snarled gutturally, answered by shrieking hissing and even joined by a throaty snarl from Rois. The pairs rushed at each other hard, the Vetala were fluid and graceful whereas Benny and Rois were more like crashing waves, all violence and intent.

Benny and Samantha immediately took to circling and swiping at one another, testing the waters; decidedly more tactful than the way Rois and Ashley crashed into one another. The pair on their feet made way for the two rolling around, like adults stepping around children at play.

"I saw that bite scar on her neck. She your own personal juice bag, Benny? That's my plan at least." Samantha grinned, goading as she lashed a lightning-quick strike at his extended arm.

A quick tilt of his hand and her blow was blocked by his weapon, the thick blade catching between the gaps and a twist and a jerk later the ebony blade flew from her hands to the dirt between them. Shocked by her quick disarm, Samantha made for the blade as it lay on the wet rocks between herself and Benny but aborted the action in time to avoid the neck-cleaving swipe he leveled at her. Stepping forwards, Benny planted his foot firmly on the weapon's hilt. "You picked the wrong pair, sugar."

Ashley was regretting her decision to get into close quarters with Rois. The large, bulky weapon she was wielding could not be used when they were prone and so close together- Rois knew that, and she was by far more physically broad and sturdy than the lithe and wiry woman. They were tangled together tightly and rolling across the rough ground when Ashley tried to take a bite at Rois' face. Rois' firm grip in the woman's long hair was all that saved her from it, still not quite used to teeth being a common weapon of choice. Maw open wide, Ashley hissed and snapped her teeth an inch shy from Rois' nose, enraged.

Grunting from the exertion, Rois spoke haltingly "I am not your juice bag, _you snaky whore_!" Snarling, Rois scissor kicked her legs and spun until she was face down underneath Ashley who leaned forwards to try to take a bite out of the back of her neck. With Ashley's weight leaned entirely forwards, it was easy to curl her legs and then kick them up with a thrust and throw Ashley off of her back. Immediately Rois pounced on top of the smaller woman's chest with all her weight, pinning her and leaning forwards for one hard punch to the face before latching her hands around her neck like a vice.

All Ashley could do was bleed from her nose and try to slip out from under Rois while prying at her hands, each gasp of air hard-won. Sliding down until she was straddling her waist and pinning her in place harder, Rois threw her weight into her hands and squeezed with all her anger. Rois did not let go, even after the woman stopped moving, until there was nothing but the flow of the river and her own heavy breathing mixing with Benny's.

Samantha had launched into a staggering offensive against Benny. With only her teeth, she had pressed into close quarters and forced him back towards the river while deftly avoiding his rapid blows. Water was lapping at his ankles when she fell back suddenly to swipe up the weapon again, grinning viciously.

Snarling gutturally, Benny charged forwards and met her offensive strategy with his own. He was stronger, any hit was going to end her, but she was faster. When he delivered a massive overhead swing and she slid around the hit like water, lashing upwards and cutting a thick wound up across his jaw and cheek that almost caught his eye, he was having misgivings.

As the momentum of his swing died, Benny took a long stride forward and planted his leg between both of hers, nudging his calf slightly behind hers. Realizing her mistake, Samantha made an abortive move to get out of the immediate danger of being almost flush with Benny, but it was too late. A stiff uppercut from his free hand sent her flying bodily backwards and unable to recover the landing because of the calf trip. Landing heavily on her side, she watched in detached fascination as he kicked her weapon out of hand, sending it skittering.

She made to roll away from the cleave that was coming but when her eyes landed on her sister, life strangled away underneath Rois, she froze. Her pained expression would remain there as Benny deftly separated her head from her shoulders in one chop. Puffing for breath, Benny looked away from the twitching corpse and towards Rois, feeling surprised but pleased when he saw her clear victory; He swiped at the blood on his face with the back of his sleeve distractedly, the wound already closed, and watched her.

After a few minutes time, rocks crunched together under his shoes as he walked over to Rois, planting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. "I don't blame you, sister. Just another day in Purgatory, let's go." Tilting her head back, Rois blinked slowly and let go of the dead woman, standing up and looking at Benny somberly. "I'm gonna be a sociopath by the time we get out of here, Benny."

Chuckling softly, Benny shook his head. "You aren't like that, you'll be fine. Go get your weapon back and let's get moving." He gestured vaguely at the beheaded corpse behind him and the weapon partially imbedded into the wet pebbles closer to the river. Rois complied, picking it up and swiping off the dirt as she fell into step beside Benny. As they were passing the old rotting corpses of their former attackers, she reached up and tapped his shoulder for him to stop.

"Yeah sister?"

"Is The Old Man your... Maker?" Her gaze was steady, serious.

"Yeah. Not on good terms, though." He frowned, wondering where this was going.

"You want him dead?" She paused, smirking. "Extra dead?"

"Been hunting for him since I got back. What are you getting at, sister?"

Rois looked down at the corpses strewn across the water, lips curled ever so slightly into a smile "I can see their trails still." Benny swallowed, looking at her sharply. "And?" Rolling her eyes, Rois shoved his shoulder gently. "I can help you find him! The guy who killed me isn't going anywhere- and if someone kills him first then my problem is solved either way right?"

Benny struggled with the answer, looking down at the headless corpses grimly. When he looked back at her he gave a sad smile, shaking his head. "No sister, we're getting out of here. It's too dangerous- and he'll still be here when I get back." Rois bit the inside of her cheek firmly before the response she wanted to give ran through her mental filters. "Alright fine, I get it. Weak-ass damsel in distress and whatnot gonna get herself killed." Looking away from him, she was determined to remain composed and not yell. _You can't be looked at seriously if you react like a child, maybe he's right._ She chided herself as they started walking again.

"Just focus, the end of this little adventure is coming up sister." Benny drawled, calm and collected. His thoughts were another matter, that may have been his only chance to really get a shot at The Old Man; But he wasn't going to use the girl who he cared about just to get a shot at vengeance, not a chance. He had a responsibility to see this through. Benny let his gaze wander, reminded of his discussion with Dean about the purity of Purgatory.

When they finally broke off from the river, Rois was looking into the woods with a blank expression. "You know, I pride myself on having a pretty good inner compass but this is crazy. You really know how to get back to where I came through?"

Chuckling his amusement, Benny shrugged "Had a lot of years to perfect it, sister."

"At least you killed everything between here and there, eh?"

"There'll be more, you can always count on there being more." With a dramatic sigh Rois nodded. "I think we should avoid that one place that had the spider thing... You know what I'm talkin' about."

"I'd tease you about being afraid of spiders, but that is a respectable fear down here." They had been keeping to the base of a rocky wall that went up a good thirty feet when Rois stepped on a web trap and nearly got pulled into the woods to her death. Benny understood the hesitation of retracing your steps through an area you faced death in well enough.

"I'm okay with spiders, as long as they are not on me or about to be on me. Then spiders and I have a problem. Otherwise, they eat the bugs that annoy me more." Rois entered an easy ramble about the necessity of arachnids to the ecosystem while they walked, her voice fading into a pleasant background noise for Benny as he paid attention to more important things- like making sure nobody was about to jump them. "Nerd." He mumbled, ever so quietly.

They had not done it very often, but few opportunities to rest in a tree were better than the one they had just been given. Reaching the summit of a particularly steep hill, there was possibly the biggest tree Rois had laid eyes on yet, and it had so many massive branches it would be an easy climb. Lit up with excitement, she gestured at it to get Benny's attention. "We don't really need to rest anymore, but I think it'd give us a good view. Haven't stopped to see if anyone was following us for a while yet either." Benny looked at her, smiling until the corners of his eyes crinkled. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you just like climbing trees, sister."

Huffing in amusement, she strode towards the tree and looked back at him with a grin as she grasped a large piece of bark- the branches themselves were much higher. "Of course I like climbing trees!"

"More a man of the sea, myself." Benny conceded as he sauntered up behind her and followed suit.

"You were a sailor of some sort, or?" Rois deftly maneuvered first up the bark and then through the branches, higher and higher, while shifting her blade around as necessary.

"You could say that." He took longer because of his shoes, but eventually he caught up to the place she had chosen to sit. Thick branches spanned out evenly and made for good sitting, Rois was slightly farther out and had her legs stretched across the branches like a bed, leaving closer to the tree free for Benny's heavier weight. With a grunt he pulled himself into place and looked down and around- she was right, it was a good view.

"I've never actually seen the ocean before, but I'd like to someday." She was staring off over the treetops, watching for anything out of the ordinary.

Benny was incredulous and his tone of voice reflected it. "No way. I'm taking you there first thing, sister. Can't live a life without seeing the ocean, that's a crime."

"Fair enough. Ontario has lots of lakes though."

"It's just not the same, sister."

"I'm sure! Guess I'll see when we get outta here, eh?" Chuckling, Benny nodded and crossed his arms, allowing himself some relaxation while Rois watched their surroundings. Night had been gone for some time so vision was good, her eyes were drawn to the thick blanket of fog shrouding as far as the eye could see in the distance though. "Hopefully the fog won't be in our way." Gathering her hair in one hand and bringing it over her shoulder, Rois was disgusted to see how blood from the Wendigo and dirt from her tussle had glued it together into a knotted mess. _Should have used the river when I was there._ She lamented to herself while picking and pulling at it impatiently.

Leaning back and linking his fingers together over his stomach, Benny kept a lazy eye on the ground below. "Tell me about the guy who did you in, everything you can remember." Pursing her lips as she struggled with a particularly gross knot made of hair, blood and some flesh, Rois frowned. "Pretty tall, looked completely human back on Earth. Ended up looking like a rotten raisin with no eyes here though. He ran real fast, like that Wendigo, and might be pretty strong- not really sure on that, I did manage to knock us both off that cliff." Pulling a face as she finally dislodged the fleshy sludge from her hair, she looked back at Benny somberly. "When he was killing me, I couldn't look away from his eyes- like I was stuck. Felt like I was on fire and my body was burning away. That's all."

"Sorry sister." Benny nodded thoughtfully.

"It's alright. While we're on the topic, how did _you_ die? If I may ask." Balancing on her hands, Rois twisted and shifted until she was straddling the two large branches and facing him instead of away.

Smirking, Benny shrugged slightly. "Not much to tell. Second time I died a friend of mine asked for a favor, his little human brother was stuck in Purgatory, and I said okay." It took a second, but her eyebrows rose in apprehension when it clicked. "You _let_ someone kill you, just so you could help his brother out of Purgatory?"

"Yeah sister. Chopped off my head, nice and quick." Making a small placating gesture, he continued. "I was supposed to come back with his brother, same way I am gonna come back with you, but I decided not to. Life topside ain't easy."

"Ah, that makes a bit more sense then. But why are you going to come back to Earth with me now? You aren't gonna jump ship on me at the last second, are you?" Her eyes narrowed as she eyed him critically, assessing.

"No. Truth is, I don't fit in very well anywhere. On Earth you gotta try to not kill anyone while surviving, down here you're forced to. Just trying to find my place, you know?"

Rois smiled and visibly relaxed. "Everyone is lost and trying to find their place Benny. I think you've taken it to the next level though." As if it were all so simple. _She is young,_ he reasoned, _still has that blissful "I know everything" outlook_. He decided to let it go and smile instead. "We'll see."

Rois had picked through her hair a few more times before they decided to get moving again. Benny was confident that they were not being followed and neither could see anything moving around other than the fog. They made a game out of who could get down first, Rois calling Benny a dirty cheater when he jumped half way down, landing heavily but keeping his footing.

"You could have jumped too." He was already walking.

"I'm afraid of heights."

"That makes no sense. You love climbing but you are scared of heights?"

"They are not mutually exclusive, Benny. I like going up but I don't like going down."

"Alright, alright." He was left shaking his head and chuckling as she caught up and walked alongside him quietly.


End file.
