Disclaimer: I own nothing in the following story. All recognizable characters and locations for Supernatural belong to Eric Kripke, the actors who portray them and everyone in between. No money was made and no offence was intended in the telling of this story. All characters will be dusted off and returned after I have finished playing with them sometime in the very distant future. Custodes Noctis characters used by permission.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Muffy not only for letting me play with her fantastic characters for a while but for her support with the story as well. Thanks girl!
This chapter is a little short, but I will make up for it in the next one.
When Worlds Collide
A crossover of Custodes Noctis and Supernatural
By infinite shadow
Chapter 2
Bobby didn't know when this day had gone from bad to fubar but that's exactly where he figured they were. Fubar. Plain and simple. John was gonna have his head on a pike. Literally.
Tim called. The man had helped him out in his early days of hunting, right after he'd lost his wife. So when he had called and asked him for a book Bobby had agreed. How difficult was it to deliver a one hundred year old book hard bound to the outskirts of Seattle?
Except he'd had the boys with him. Sure Dean was twenty one and Sammy was seventeen. But both boys were injured and sick so John had left them with him for safe keeping. What was the harm in taking them for a two day car ride?
Apparently life and death as his luck would go. Tim was already dead. Killed by the thing he'd needed the book for. Bobby hadn't even had the chance to figure out what it was. Dean had his silver knife and his trusty shotgun one round salt shot and the other consecrated iron rounds. Sam had holy water and rounds with some kind of herbs mixed with the shot. Whichever it was in the chaos they'd walked into one of the shots was the answer as the thing had gone down loud and hard. Almost too late.
Sammy was down, Dean was down and Bobby was barely able to walk on his own. He'd barely been able to get the 911 call out before he too had passed out. When he'd come to the paramedics had arrived, Sam was on a stretcher, Dean was swearing a blue streak while fighting off his own paramedics while trying to get to his little brother and Bobby, well he just did his best to take it in for a minute. It felt surreal, like he wasn't there, then things seemed to snap back into focus as he told Dean to simmer down and ordered him to accept treatment. To his amazement the boy did just before the world went dark on him again.
Then he was at the hospital. He wasn't quite sure how he'd got there, although the gurney was a dead giveaway. He'd levered himself up and walked away from it intent on finding the boys. He headed for the front desk and it took a moment before he could get a nurses attention.
"S'cuse me ma'am. Lookin for two kids near their twenties," Bobby said and faltered slightly when he didn't know what last name they'd used, if they'd been conscious and coherent to give a false name or not. "Sam and Dean?"
"Did they just come in?"
"Yeah," Bobby answered.
"There's a young man in that bed. The paramedic figured him to be about twenty one," she said with a wave of her hand and frowned as she dug through papers on her desk. "I'm sorry but I don't seem to have his records here yet. Are you family?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm his uncle. Came in with him," he said.
"Alright then," she said.
Bobby started down towards the bed she mentioned and stopped a few yards away.
There was a young man already in the small area. He had his hands on the patent in the bed. Frowning he made his way forward and paused as the patent whimpered and twitched slightly. The man above the patent staggered back a step and slumped as he grabbed the bed rail to keep up.
Bobby reached out and steadied the man. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?" He demanded softly.
Galen gasped at the instant connection with the man. A gold amulet, a younger man, general confusion. He shook his head to try and dislodge the images from the strangers around him.
There was a clearing of a throat behind him. "Galen is a consultant with the hospital."
"Hey Mike," Galen said softly then looked at Bobby.
Bobby frowned and took a good look at him. "Galen? … Don't suppose you'd be Galen Emrys?"
Galen's eyes flashed to Mike's then back to Bobby's. "Yeah?"
"Your father was Parry Emrys?"
He nodded. "Yeah," he said sadly.
"I was sorry to hear he'd passed," Bobby said gently. "He and your uncle were good men. Helped me out once or twice."
Galen frowned as he made himself stand straighter. "How?"
"Their store… the Apothecary? Yeah right here in Tacoma. They've helped me locate some rather rare herbs, books and even an amulet once."
"Bobby from North Dakota? You're the guy that wanted the special protection amulet?" Galen asked softly as his face scrunched slightly as if he'd tasted something sour. "For a hunter?"
"Whoa… Whoa… Gentlemen, back the bus up here," Mike tried to intervene. "A hunter?"
"Yeah that's …," Bobby frowned at him. "How'd you know my name?"
"Um, kinda hard to explain," Galen answered him and ignored his friend's question.
Bobby nodded. "Right. You saw it," he said easily.
"Yeah, and that amulet? I found it," Galen said with a smile.
"Went to his older brother," Bobby said as he waved a hand vaguely in Sam's direction with a slight grin. "Dean still wears it."
"It wasn't supposed to go to a hunter, or a child. It was supposed to go to a protector. Dad and I had a really long talk about that. It had to go to someone that literally had someone else's lives in their hands. Someone with special powers. Someone like…"
"Like Custodes Noctis?" Bobby finished.
"Sammy is special and what the hell is with all that Latin shit, Bobby?"
Bobby closed his eyes for a brief second looking for patience but found none. He automatically, but gently, cuffed the boy on the side of his head as Dean glared between Galen and Mike.
"Ow," Dean said lowly as he rubbed ineffectively at the spot Bobby had barely touched.
"Language boy," Bobby growled. He took a breath and tried to find more patience but it had been sorely tested and worn thin over the last few days. Injured Dean was cranky. Sickly Dean was a bear. Injured and sick Dean was like a bull running riot in a china shop. "Custodes Noctis. Keepers of the Night, Dean. You know that or at least could have figured it out."
"Yeah, and you hate translating for me, but you do it anyway. Why is that?" Dean asked offhandedly as he awkwardly pushed his way into the small area so he could stand beside his brother's still form. "And what are you all doing in here? Better yet back the hell off, Sparky. No one touches my little brother."
"Ok. Ok. You," Mike said, looking at Dean and deciding to rein in some control where he could. "Are concussed and looks like you aren't even finished with treatment yet?"
"Screw 'em. I can fix myself just fine. Wouldn't tell me about Sammy," he said as he gently pushed his little brother's long bangs out of his eyes then looked up at Bobby. "And what the hell Bobby? Just letting strangers in with him. You can go away too. You're supposed to protect him for Christ's sake."
"Dean," Bobby growled as he shook his head then watched as Dean turned his attention back to his little brother. Ever so gently he touched Sammy's bandaged arm and then began to slouch just a little. His frustration eased up a little as his concern notched up a bit. "Shut it and find a chair before you collapse."
"'m fine," he answered distractedly as his fingers traced down to Sammy's pulse point. His fingers stayed there long enough to check it and then moved further down to squeeze his hand. He shook his head just once and sighed. "Damn kid. Every hunt for the last two months. Gotta find that target and get it off ya. Better yet you need to learn how to duck faster or … someththin."
"Dean, you are a long way from fine. I could have you sedated and checked in. Don't think I won't you idiot," Bobby growled pointedly ignoring the soft spoken words meant only for the younger Winchester's ears and started looking around for a chair.
Mike was already a step ahead of him. "Here," he said quietly.
"Thanks," Bobby said.
"We normally don't let visitors stay. However," Mike said, holding up a hand to forestall any arguments as he put the chair down for Dean. "You can as long as you let the staff treat your wounds. I mean it. You argue, give them any trouble and you are out on your ass. Am I understood?"
Dean glared at him as he let go of Sammy's hand. He shifted to face the doctor straight on and opened his mouth to say something but before he could get anything out, he was cut off.
"I'll do the throwing out on your ass personally, you hear me, boy?" Bobby said calmly.
His mouth closed, his lips thinned out as he rethought his words. Then his shoulders slumped slightly as he leaned against the bed and his eyes met Bobby's. "Yes, sir, I understand. I will let them treat my wounds, but but I get to stay. No one kicks me out. As long as I don't cause trouble and I won't as long as they don't kick me out. I look after Sammy. I do that. You know that, Bobby. I look after Sammy. I do," Dean said.
"Yeah, Dean," Bobby said softly, knowing the kid was at the end of what he was able to take for the night. He was pale and had started to shake. Bobby could see traces of fear, that he knew no one else could see, in Dean's eyes that he was going to be removed from his little brother. "I get that, boy."
"Ok, then," Dean said and after a moment took the chair closer to the bed and sat down. He watched his little brother for a minute before he leaned forward and his head rested on the mattress next to his arm. "Everyone else can leave. Cept Bobby. Uncle Bobby gets to stay. He has to."
Mike grinned at the other two men. "I think that's a good idea. I'll let the nurses know at the desk. C'mon, Galen. We'll get you something to rev you up for tonight. Got that gig and all. My sweet Heather's waiting. Oh, and Rhiannon will kick your butt if you don't show."
"She wouldn't," Galen said with a slight grin. He'd met Rhiannon well over ten years ago when he'd stopped in at a diner with Rob. She'd been a constant in his life since then. She was a great friend and a killer of anything supernatural, specializing on evil that preyed on children. She was always up for a hunting party and he wouldn't have it any other way. "Yeah, ok, she would. So would Flash."
"I'll see if I can get Sam moved into a room sooner rather than later. It'll be quieter and give you all a bit more room," Mike said. "I'd like to check on all three of you tomorrow. And I think you and Galen have a few things to discuss."
"Go the hell away," Dean said. His voice muffled from where his face lay against the sheets.
Galen shook his head. "We're gone," he said softly temped to help the hurt man out. But he was tired already and had already used his Gift more than he normally would have already that day. He was going to need something to help him get through the night as it was. If he was lucky he had enough time to get a coffee from Becci at Hot Babe's Coffee across from his Apothecary before he had to be at Rat's Nest to setup.
"I'll bring it. Just get there. I'll be waiting."
"Thanks, Rob."
Galen reached out to shake Bobby's hand.
"Thanks," Bobby murmured as he shook Galen's hand. Then the hunter tuned and looked over the boys. He shook his head slightly. "How did this go south so quick?"
"It's the job. Shit happens," Dean murmured as he raised his head and looked almost helplessly at the older man.
"Dean," Bobby said as he laid a hand on the older boy's back. "Sammy'll be fine."
Dean shifted just enough so his hand encased the warm one of his little brother's. "He'd better or I'll kick his ass," he said as he put his head back down and closed his eyes.
Bobby grinned slightly and sat on the edge of the bed satisfied to just sit and watch over them both.
