TITLE: The Natural Order

AUTHOR: Joon

RATED: R (for language)

SPOILERS: Spoilers for Neal Shaffer and Daniel Krall's graphic novel, "One Plus One." Spoilers through "Faith."

DISCLAIMER: Kripke owns the Brothers Winchester. Neal Shaffer and Daniel Krall own David Coulson and Leonard. I'm just messing with them.

SUMMARY: After the events of "Faith," higher powers have been alerted to the unwanted changes made to certain people's fate.

NOTES: For those of you who have never read "One Plus One," it isn't essential to understanding this story. Certain powers the characters from "One Plus One" possess are detailed in the first chapter.

The Natural Order

"Usual, babe?"

"You got it."

Laurie flashed Leonard a smile. With a training that came with years and years of experience, he ignored the decaying edges of her once pink lips and gave her a smile of his own. Watching the young waitress take off with his order, he noted her blackened right leg that was usually concealed from him with the jeans she often sported. Now, in a short skirt, the charred flesh and seared muscles were clearly exposed.

Car accident probably. Leonard guessed. He hated seeing the younger ones. Not even out of school yet.

6pm had barely crawled in and Dante's was already filling up with the usual patrons. Amongst the sea of familiar rotting faces, Leonard spotted a small smatter of new ones. But there never was much variation in how they looked to Leonard after he stared long enough to blink past their current status, to see what they would look like when lying in a coffin or on a coroner's table.

Every once in awhile, he'd spot a really nasty one. Last month a man roughly Leonard's age had stopped by the bar to get a drink. He'd worn a tired expression that of Dante's patrons donned. Sipping back a scotch, he'd made small talk with the bartender, telling him he was just driving through on a sales run from Ohio to Chicago. Leonard was sure everyone else had forgotten about the guy the minute he'd left, if they'd him noticed at all. Only Leonard had been able to see the man's face split down in half, as if a powerful force had driven a pick axe through the top of his skull. God, what possible scenario would have led to THAT? Leonard had almost said something. Almost. It wouldn't have changed anything.

Recalling the memory, Leonard quickly took a gulp of the drink Laurie had set in front of him.

It was two hours later that Leonard was staring down his third drink when he saw out of his periphery, a man in a dark suit standing next to his booth.

Glancing up to the new arrival's face, Leonard felt an involuntary bark of laughter escape from him. "I'll be a sonovabitch. David."

A smile drifted across David's features. "Hello Leonard."

"Jesus Christ, I didn't think I'd see you again after..." Leonard's voice trailed off as his throat unexpectedly dried. Flashes of the companion David had had with him during the last meeting filtered through Leonard's mind. If the younger man noticed, Leonard's reverie, he didn't show it.

"Mind if I join you?"

Breaking out of his momentary daydream, Leonard nodded. Despite the bolt of fear that shot through Leonard, he found himself staring eagerly at David, who slid easily into the booth. It had been a year since the last time they'd met. And David had worn the same suit and the same mild, enigmatic expression on his face. A face that never altered no matter how long Leonard stared at him. Since that year, Leonard had yet to run across anyone else whose face remained alive and fresh under his gaze. No matter how apprehensive he'd felt the last time he'd met up with David, his eyes still hungrily basked in the glory of a body that didn't decay in front of him.

David lit a cigarette and remained silent, seemingly allowing Leonard to stare to his heart's content. Finally noticing what he was doing, Leonard gave an embarrassed cough and looked away.

"How've you been?" David asked.

"Not too bad. Same this, same that."

"How about that novel you were writing? Ever finish it?"

"Nah," Leonard shook his head, rolling the empty glass in his hand. "It wasn't really a novel. Just something to do to keep my mind from going, you know." David nodded.

"Get you another, Leonard?" asked Laurie, stopping by. Seeing David, she narrowed her eyes for a minute before pointing a finger at him. "Cutty on the rocks, am I right?"

"Good memory," praised David.

"The best," agreed Laurie. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Thank you," said David, waving off the bills Leonard was handing over to her. "I'll get this."

Waiting until Laurie left, Leonard put his now empty hand flat on the table. "So, what brings you back? Another job?"

"Yes."

"Hm."

"Pretty surprised myself. I hardly ever hit the same place twice," said David, blowing out a thin line of smoke.

"Then I'm guessing you stopping by Dante's wasn't just to shoot the shit over some drinks," Leonard bit out.

David didn't look surprised at the sudden display of bitterness. "I'd be lying if I said no," he agreed. "But like before, Leonard. You don't have to help me." He smiled a thanks to Laurie who came back with their drinks. "It'll make things easier for me, but no hard feelings if you don't."

Leonard took a long swallow from his glass and watched David smoke for a few beats. "You know," he began. "When you and me first met and you asked me to help you out….well, I thought, shit. Finally I get to use this curse of mine to help out someone. Never gave it much thought why you needed to make sure that kid was gonna get it like he did. Was just happy to be useful. To make this THING of mine useful."

"And it was," David said.

"Yeah." Leonard paused. Mulling over his next words. "I guess it was 'cause lookin' at you was a relief to me that I never thought about what I was being a part of when I took a look at that kid."

"Leonard, you weren't a part of anything that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Really? Is that a fact?"

David shrugged, putting out his cigarette. "The natural order of things, Leonard."

A silence lapsed as Leonard felt his fourth drink warm his stomach and blur his mind enough so that the decaying bodies of all the people walking behind David seemed more like images out of a nightmare, rather than reality.

"Can I ask you something?" said Leonard.

"Sure."

"How'd you know I wouldn't warn that kid about what I saw?"

David smiled. It was almost condescending and Leonard felt strangely deserving of the look. "Why would you have?"

Leonard snorted. "Guess you're right. Leave the interfering to the experts, right?"

"Look at it as more enforcing than interfering. Budding writer like yourself would know the subtle difference."

"So what are you here to enforce this time? Make sure some two-bit thug meets his maker at the wrong end of a pistol?"

"No, it's a little different this time." David paused, mulling over how much he should share. But seeing the grim expression on Leonard's face, the younger man felt a little elaboration this time wouldn't hurt. He owed Leonard something for the blind favor he did him last time.

"Every once in awhile, I get a job that's a little more complicated than just making sure something goes the way it should. And I don't always get all the information I need," he said. "Like this one. Before I can start on my work, I need to figure out where things are."

"Is this where I come in?"

"Yes." Lighting another cigarette, David tilted his chin toward the door to the bar that was behind Leonard. "In a few minutes, two strangers are going to walk through that door. I need you to take a look at one of them and tell me what you see."

"Is that it?"

David gave him a puzzled look. "What did you think I was going to ask?"

Leonard shook his head, feeling a little drunker than usual. "No, I mean. Is that it? Just the one look? You're not going to have me look again?"

"Ah. Well, that all depends on what you see."

Leonard frowned, seeing the expression David's face. "You ever feel bad about you do? Like what you're doing is wrong?" The evening of gin and tonics had him feeling less awkward about asking personal questions.

"It's not about right or wrong, Leonard. It's about what has to happen. Like I said, natural order of things."

Before he could reply, Leonard felt a blast of cold wind hit the back of his head, indicating the door to the bar had opened. Even over the din of clinking glasses and slapping of pool balls, he could hear the stomping of boots. Looking at David across their table, he saw the younger man's eyes flicker with recognition.

"They're here." Leonard didn't ask. He knew.

"Like I said, Leonard. You don't need to help me. I really do mean that."

Keeping his eyes down, Leonard sat still as two figures walked past their booth, toward the bar. "Which one?" he finally asked.

If David was smiling happily, Leonard wouldn't have seen it. The older man was now focused on not staring at the features that had given him so much relief before.

"The shorter one. He's heading toward the pool table."

Knocking back the rest of his drink, Leonard looked up.

His eyes fell on the young man with a beer in hand, who was walking over to a pool game already in session. His taller companion hung back and took a seat at the bar. Neither one looked like they'd even hit their 30th birthday.

Christ. Kids. Again. Leonard couldn't help the angered look he shot at David. Didn't this guy ever enforce anyone who was older than just out of college?

"What do you see?" asked David. Impatience didn't look right on David. Leonard guessed he didn't feel it often.

Looking back at the pool table, Leonard saw the shorter man put his beer down to grab a cue stick. Judging by rifling and slapping down of bills, a bet was happening. Taking a breath, Leonard stared. He kept his eyes on the young man's face as he walked around the pool table. Leonard blinked. What the hell? Rubbing his eyes briefly, he looked again.

"What do you see?" David repeated, stabbing out his cigarette.

"Give me a minute," Leonard hissed. The strangeness of what he was seeing cleared his mind from the alcohol in his body. The room crystallized and every rotting face looked sharper to Leonard. He focused in on his target, who was sinking in ball and after ball. Finally, he missed, giving his opponent a turn. Standing still, he gave Leonard an opportunity to scrutinize his features.

It flickered with each thump of Leonard's own heartbeat. He saw a young kid's face. Healthy, sharp eyes with an equally sharp grin. And then he saw he saw the same kid with a face suddenly thinner. Dark circles lined his eyes, their purplish hue matching his lips. And then he saw a healthy face again.

Leonard shook his head. "Fuck. Something's wrong. My eyes are…"

"What do you see?" David demanded.

"It keeps flickering. Not usually what happens. Usually I can just see them dead." He looked again and saw with each pulse the two faces of the kid flash in and out. He held up his still half full glass of gin and tonic. Surely the alcohol wasn't affecting him this much. Years ago he used to on benders to try and stop what he saw and still the visions came to him with absolute clarity. He looked over at David, expecting to see astonishment on his face as well.

But his tablemate only looked thoughtful, perhaps a bit pensive. Noticing Leonard's uneasy expression, he spared him a smile. "Don't worry, Leonard. Nothing's wrong with your eyes."

Leonard would have laughed at that comment if he hadn't felt so disturbed. "Is that what I'm supposed to see?"

David twisted around to look over at the pool table. His gaze then shifted to the bar, studying the taller one who was now pouring over a newspaper. For a minute, he thought to ask Leonard to study him as well, but decided against it. It probably didn't matter at this point. One thing at a time.

"What's it mean?" Leonard asked.

David turned back around and took a sip from his drink. "It means my job's got a lot more complicated."

"I don't get it. Is he like you? Is he already…you know? Dead?"

David shook his head. "No, not like me. And he's not dead." His lips curled into a slight grimace as he took another sip. "He's supposed to be, though."

To Be Continued...