Bleeding Hearts & Wooden Bullets
"You know Damon doesn't give a damn about me," said Katherine haughtily from her sitting place on the uncomfortable floor, her pretentious voice rolling off the cave walls. "He's not coming."
Dean frowned and tightened the rope around her wrists, making her wince. "This whole thing'll go a lot smoother if you don't talk, sweet cheeks."
She turned her head slowly and eyed the nervous Briton standing in the darkened corner, his arms crossed protectively over his chest. "What's the matter? You never seen a live Vampire before?" she asked, licking her lips provocatively.
Charlie glared at her, and then turned his gaze towards Dean. "Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked with concern.
"Trust me, I've done this a thousand times," Dean answered, straightening up. "It'll work. I've been hunting this sonofabitch for a long time. I know how he thinks."
"If you know how he thinks, how come it's taken you so long to catch him, Dean?" Katherine asked, smirking.
"She has a point."
"Are you siding with the monsters now?" quizzed Dean jokingly, his brows furrowed. Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Look," he continued. "Do you trust me?"
Charlie softened a little, looking in to Dean's reassuring eyes. Dean was the pro. Everything he knew – everything he learnt – was because of Dean. He sighed. "Of course I trust you. You're my friend."
"Then don't worry about a thing. We'll do this, we'll make the exchange, and we'll be back in time for the Queen's speech."
"Bloody hilarious."
He grinned humorously, taking the compliment. "Thanks, man." He picked up his gun. "Now let's get this show on the road."
"Did I hear something about a show?" a devilish voice questioned from the shadows. They all turned their heads towards the source of the noise. Damon Salvatore emerged from the black abyss of the cave, his arm around a woman, restricting her movements. Charlie felt his heart beat faster.
"Juliet!" he called fearfully, noticing the look of terror in her stunning blue eyes and the patches of blood around her neck.
She looked relieved when she saw him. Damon pulled her closer, his arm strangling her. Dean stopped Charlie from taking another step towards them.
"If I knew there was going to be a show I would have worn something fancier," said Damon, raising a dark eyebrow. "Shame."
"Shove it, Twilight," snapped Dean. "You know the deal. Hand over the girl."
"Oh, Dean," he replied patronisingly. "It's like you don't know me at all." His conceited smile vanished gradually. "I want Katherine first."
Katherine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Damon, I'm touched you came, but this has to be the stupidest thing you've ever done,"
"No, Katherine. The stupidest thing I've ever done was get killed for you," he retorted, his teeth clenched together. "And that's not going to happen this time. So hand her over to me or Blondie here becomes my new chew toy," he threatened, turning to Dean again.
"Leave her alone," Charlie breathed, his expression dark and angry.
Damon wrinkled his nose. "Who the hell is this? Where'd you find this guy?" he asked Dean curiously. "Were you holding auditions for pathetic sidekick or something?"
"Charlie," he murmured bitterly. "My name is Charlie." He slowly raised the gun loaded with wooden bullets at Katherine's head. "And you better let go of my girlfriend."
"I think he means it," said Katherine, trying to mask her unthreatened smirk.
"Oh he means it," Dean snapped. "Don't make me count to five."
"I question your ability to count to five, Dean," mocked Damon, tightening his hold on his victim, "since it took you this long to find me and now you're willing to get yourself killed for some doctor you don't even know. You should know more than anyone not to get close to people."
"One," he began, his voice low and gravelly.
"This isn't kindergarten, Dean."
"Two."
He rolled his dark eyes. "Come on, now. Let's be grown up about this."
"Three."
Damon furrowed his brows as Katherine glanced up at him, her lips parted.
"Four."
Charlie caught Juliet's wide eyes and nodded reassuringly at her. She returned a frightened smile, her cut lips trembling. She trusted him.
"Five."
Damon shrugged. He was about to comment sarcastically on the childish display when within moments, he was distracted by a dark blur speeding across the cave. It took him a few seconds to realise that Katherine had broken free from her bonds and now had her teeth sunken in to the poor Englishman who had threatened her life. Dean watched – stunned, his heart pounding. Charlie cried out in agony, his back hitting the rocky wall. Katherine threw back her head, her eyes bulging and her lips dripping with blood. Her victim grabbed his neck and fell to the ground, blood spilling from his torn flesh.
"CHARLIE!" Juliet screamed with horror. She gathered enough strength in that moment to pull away from her hostage-taker and punch him hard across the face. Damon sprawled backwards, shocked by the sudden attack. Juliet, with her fist burning, hurried over to Charlie's limp form as he struggled weakly on the cold ground.
Dean aimed for Katherine and shot a couple of rounds, but she was too quick. Two seconds and her blurred form had sped right out of there. Damon watched her escape without him. "KATHERINE!" he screamed furiously, throwing his hands up in the air. He was about to run after her when he felt the searing shock of pain in his side.
Dean shot again, getting him in the leg this time. Damon collapsed, crying out as the pain radiated.
"Don't move, dick," grumbled Dean, aiming for his heart.
"Stay with me," Juliet pleaded in the corner, applying pressure to Charlie's wound. The blue from his eyes were fading. His skin was pale and his lips had become dry as he whispered her name.
"Juliet. Run."
"No, I'm not leaving you!" she cried, holding his cheek in her palms. "Now come on, stay with me. It's just a bit of blood. You can do this. You've been through worse, remember? The drugs? We got through that. We got through it together."
He smiled for a moment. It was true. Juliet had saved his life long ago. He was suddenly reminded of the days when he was busking on the streets for drug money. Memories of him curled up on the floor thinking he was going to die from withdrawal, Juliet standing over him shoving aspirin down his throat and telling him he was going to be okay. He felt so cold back then, so sick. And Juliet had fixed him. He felt it again. The chills, the sickness.
"How's he doing?" Dean asked from the other side of the cave, his angry gaze not leaving Damon's.
"He's losing a lot of blood!" she called to him. "We've got to get him out of here."
Dean watched Damon tear the wooden bullets out of his flesh, the wounds healing instantly. "I said don't move," he growled, pulling the trigger. He paused. Nothing; he was out of bullets. Damon grinned and then launched for him. Dean suddenly found himself being propelled across the cave, his back hitting the ground. Juliet spun around to see Damon leaning over him, strangling him, killing him. She turned back to Charlie. He was in a lot of pain, but he was fighting. She had to help Dean.
Dean was no match for Damon's immense strength. He was desperately fighting for breath, the feeling of his fingers pressing against his windpipe, squeezing the life out of him. His vision started to blur. Then Damon let go and Dean gasped for air, his eyes focusing on Juliet's tall figure as she shoved a stake through Damon's back. Damon cried out from the torturous blow, his knees buckling beneath him. Dean was still wheezing for breath when he locked eyes with Juliet and he nodded her a thanks.
"STOP IT!"
The two turned to see Katherine had returned, her jaw open, her eyes wide. She looked horrified. Almost afraid. Then she seemed furious. She raced towards her earlier victim, still bleeding on the floor, and in one swift movement she bit in to her own flesh and fed Charlie her blood.
"No!" screamed Juliet. Dean jumped up, ready to aid his friend when Katherine held up a hand to stop him.
"Not so fast. One step closer and I'll break his neck, and he'll become the very thing you hunt," she said smugly, her slim fingers already circling round his neck. "I think he'll make a very charming Vampire, don't you think?"
"Let go of him," Juliet growled, her fists balling up.
"Aww. That's sweet," she pouted mockingly. "What are you going to do?" She eyed Damon who was currently sprawled out on the floor, trying to pull the stake out of his back and failing. She nodded towards him. "Get that out of him."
Dean could hear the grinding noise his teeth were making at that moment. But, looking at Charlie's pale and bloodied form, he knew he didn't have a choice. He bent over Damon and pulled the wooden stake out of his flesh, making it as painful as he possibly could. Damon winced, waiting for the sweet relief to follow.
Dean straightened up, the stake still in his hand. He raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, now let him go, Katherine."
"You know, if you hadn't been trying to kill me all this time I think you and I would have made a delightful couple," she smiled flirtatiously.
"Just let Charlie go, Katherine," Dean repeated, losing his patience.
"Put down the stake first, handsome," she demanded.
Even through his blurred vision, Charlie could see Dean was hesitant, and for a moment he feared his friend's stubbornness might get him killed. "Bloody terrific," he mumbled, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the agony which was filtering through his weakened frame.
"It's okay, buddy," Dean reassured him, slowly placing the stake on the ground. "There." His emerald eyes caught Charlie's. He nodded at him. "It's going to be fine."
Katherine loosened her hold on the man, triumphant that she had won. It was then that she saw Dean quickly slide the stake across the floor towards Charlie, and before she could react he had stabbed her as best he could in the stomach. She gasped, a look of horror reanimating her features as she glanced down at the horrible sight. It had pierced right in to her. The blood stained through her clothes. "You bastard!" she hissed, feeling herself fall to the ground. Charlie grinned victoriously at her, Juliet breathed a sigh of relief, and Dean looked oddly proud. And then Charlie realised Damon was standing behind them, his eyes red and angry, bearing his teeth like a savage. For a horrible moment he feared he would attack again. But instead, he turned in to a blur, grabbing a wounded Katherine, and ran away.
"They'll be back," Dean said later as Juliet cradled Charlie in the back of the Impala, wrapping endless bandages around his injuries. "I'll find 'em and I'll put 'em down. I promise you."
"Thank you," Charlie smiled through blood-stained teeth. "For helping us."
Dean glanced at the couple in the rear-view mirror and grinned his trademark grin. It was nice to be thanked. "You're welcome. You'll be okay, man. Now let's get you two back to that baby girl of yours," he said, stepping on the accelerator, passing the blackened figures of Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce who watched from the safety of the woods.
"You saved me," Katherine said weakly as Damon pulled the stake from her stomach and held her upright, his hand around her slim waist.
"Well, seems only fair," he replied, shrugging. "You did come back for me."
She smiled, her breaths shallow as her wound healed and she placed a hand on his chest. "Who said I came back for you? Maybe I came back for the cute British guy."
He scorned, his black eyebrows rising. "Nah," he murmured. He leant closer to her ear. "He isn't your type," he whispered, moving his lips on to hers and holding her a little closer.
End.