Stronger Than Ever Δ SPN [3]

058. TRICKING THE NEPHILIM

They're having a little celebration in honor of Mary's life, having invited the other hunters from the apocalypse world. They're holding it in the war room, Libby still having not set foot in there yet.

"You know... you don't have to be there. Your dad would understand." Nathan says.

"No. No, I... I need to get over it at some point, right?" Libby mutters.

"You really don't have to do it right now, Libs. You know that, right?" Nathan asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know, I just... I should." She says.

"Okay, um... well, if you get too overwhelmed or panicky, just... just get me or Lia or your dad or something and we'll get you out." Nathan tells her. Libby nods, offering him a grateful smile.

Libby stands in front of the entry, not moving.

"You were planning on trying today, right?" Nathan asks.

"Maybe." Libby mumbles, suddenly having second thoughts.

Nathan holds his hand out to her and she stares at it.

"You won't be alone." Nathan promises.

Libby grabs onto Nathan's hand, tightly squeezing it out of anxiety. She takes a deep breath, slowly walking in, Nathan letting her lead the way at her pace. He hides his own anxiety, the memory of the last time she stepped in here running through his mind.

Libby stops just inside the entrance, looking around. Her eyes fall on where Maggie's body was, staring for a few moments, the screams echoing in her head.

"Hey." Nathan shakes her arm, knocking her out of her trance. "You wanna go?" He asks. Libby seems to consider before shaking her head. She wraps Nathan's arm around her, but still holds onto his hand tightly, leaning into his side.

~ ~ ~

"We know it wasn't easy for some of you to get here, and we thank you." Dean tells everybody. Him, Sam, and Cas are standing at the top of the steps. Libby, Nathan, and Ophelia are standing back, Libby hugging Nathan's arm as Ophelia puts small braids in her cousin's hair to help her stay calm.

"We, uh-- we gave her a hunter's send off a few days ago. But we know that her family went beyond just us. Some of you hunted alongside her. Some of you fought Michael with her in the other world. You know, we lost our mom once before. But we got a second chance with her. And we got to know her not just as "mom," but as someone who was tough and strong. Stubborn as hell."

"Someone who had opinions and wasn't shy to use them. She could handle a machete. She could handle a vampire. She could handle our old man. She couldn't cook worth a damn. Mom, you weren't here long enough. But we're so glad for the time that we had. Goodbye, mom."

"Bye, mom." Sam bids after Dean's speech.

"To Mary." The group choruses. A hatchet sails through the air, sticking into a guy's head, his body falling to the floor. Libby flinches, her hands clenching into fists.

"Hey, hey, hey." Ophelia whispers, bringing her into a hug, feeling the younger girl's anxiety spike. Nathan keeps a hand on Libby's back, looking to see Bobby walk in.

~ ~ ~

"Make sure I get my hatchet back." Bobby tells the hunter who is dragging the wraith out of the room. It's only him, Cas, Sam, the three teens, and another hunter in the war room.

Libby is sitting on one of the chairs and her legs are pulled up to her chest. Nathan is standing behind her and combing his fingers through her hair to help calm her down.