Chapter Ten

Sam lay awake, basking in the afterglow of being with Sarah. She was asleep in the crook of his arm, her back lay against his chest, with her body spooned by his. He thought of how his life had changed the past two years and how his life could very well change again. Dean's imminent demise crossed his mind once again. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, so Sam slid out from under Sarah and dressed in the bathroom.

Dean, too, lay awake with his arms wrapped around Alyssa. His thoughts were not on the past or what lay ahead for his future. He was thinking of what Alyssa had said about his being responsible for the beating she'd received during the last vision. He was pretty good at reading people, too, and knew there was more, but Alyssa wasn't talking.

Not wanting to wake her, but knowing he wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, Dean made his own way out of the bed, put on clean clothes, and quietly snuck out of the room.

Unaware each was doing what the other had planned, Dean and Sam walked out of their rooms at the same time, frightening themselves and each other.

"I was just going out for a beer," Dean whispered.

"So was I," Sam replied, cautiously.

Dean stared at his brother a moment longer, and smiling, patted him on the shoulder. "Cool. Let's go."

The brothers found the bar across the street from the motel. It was just like all the other bars they'd been to across the country, smoke-filled, dingy, and full of drunk, unruly patrons.

Sam and Dean ordered their beers from the bartender and took a table at the back of the bar, away from the crowds.

"You couldn't sleep?" Dean asked of his little brother.

"No. You?" Sam took a swig of his beer, hoping his older brother wouldn't want the details of his night with Sarah.

"No." He could tell his brother had gotten some action with Sarah, but he wasn't in the mood to tease him or question him about it.

Noting the change in Dean's mood, Sam broke the awkward silence.

"What's wrong, Dean?"

"Nothin'" was the automatic response. Dean never talked about his feelings openly. He'd learned to hide his true feelings behind the mask of fearlessness and sarcasm.

"Right. Nothing got you out of a warm bed with a naked woman." Sam's snide remarks were coming easier and easier: the byproduct of being around Dean for so long.

"Oh, yeah. What's your excuse, bitch?"

"Worried about you, jerk."

Both men grinned, relishing the moment of camaraderie they've come to share over the past two years.

"So, what's really bothering you?" Sam took a swig of his beer to give his brother time to answer.

"I don't know." Dean looked into Sam's eyes, hoping to find the answers he needed to find.

"You do know. You just don't know how to put it into words."

A minute passed before Dean spoke again.

"Well, if you're so smart there, college boy, you tell me what I'm thinking."

"You're nervous about becoming a father. You've got one year left to live, and you know you should be living it up. Instead you're hanging by the side of one woman, the woman who's carrying your child, and you can't figure out why you're doing it at all." Sam stared at Dean, daring him to contradict what he knew to be the truth.

Dean couldn't argue with him. He knew his little brother had hit the nail on the head with every word. He'd changed over the past two years, but this newest development of emotional dedication was unfamiliar territory for Dean. He wasn't sure how to handle it all.

"Well, am I right?"

"Yeah, maybe."

The silence once again became heavy with unspoken words. Sam couldn't stand it any longer and had to ask.

"What happened to Alyssa in the bathroom at the restaurant?"

"I don't know really. She said I did it to her." Dean hadn't gone any further in discussing the how's and why's of the beating he supposedly inflicted upon her, mostly because he didn't believe he could ever hurt Alyssa. There was no way he would let her come to any harm, especially by his own hand.

"You beat her? How did you do that to her? Why?" Sam knew his brother had a temper. Rage burned in Dean just below the surface of the carefully built façade of control and cool, but he'd never hit a woman first.

"She had a vision of it, but I would never do that to her."

"I know, Dean. But what if it's some kind of influence that drives you to do it? Her recent visions have been about this Jedidiah guy and what he did to his wife and stepdaughter. Maybe you come under his influence somehow."

Dean thought for a moment. It was the only theory that made any sense. If he was affected by a really pissed off spirit, then it was possible for him to be driven to beat the only woman he truly cared about.

"It's not going to happen, Sam. There's no way I'm going to lay a hand on her. I'll kill anyone or anything that does. But it won't be me that hurts her."

With that said, the conversation seemed to be over, leaving the two brothers to finish their beers and order a second. Neither of them was ready to leave just yet.

Sam could see a particularly busty blonde had been eyeing Dean the entire time they'd been sitting in the bar.

"Don't look now, but you've been targeted." Sam set his beer on the table.

"By what?" Dean was stiffening, not sure if there was a threat nearby.

"A blonde." Sam sneered at his brother.

"Oh. I thought you meant there was something here. Don't do that, dude."

"Here she comes." Sam tried to hide in plain sight so the blonde wouldn't head in his direction.

"You two aren't from around here, are you?" The voice was thick with booze and lust.

Dean ventured a look at the voice's owner and noticed she was just his type. Her long blonde hair was straight from a bottle. Her lips were full and painted red, the same red as her tight leather tank top that seemed to strain as it tried to hold all of her in.

Sam fully expected his brother to openly flirt with the voluptuous babe standing provocatively at their table.

"No, we're not." Dean answered without the usual lustful intentions in his own voice.

"Well, you need a tour of the town, now don't you? I can give you a personal tour if you like?" Her blue eyes sparkled with the hope of a night with one of the handsome men who graced the small bar.

"No thanks. We're finding our way around just fine." Dean turned towards his brother looking for help to rid them of her.

Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. His brother was turning down a blatantly obvious chance to bed a strange woman; something his brother had done numerous times during their travels around the country.

"Right, Sam?" Dean again silently urged his brother to help him out.

Sam cleared his throat. "Right. We're fine. Our wives are sleeping, and we just came here for a couple of beers."

"Oh," the blonde seemed to pout with the rejection. "Well, if you get bored, I'll be around." She bounced off with hope that her invitation would be accepted in the near future.

"What has gotten into you, Dean?"

"What?" Dean acted as if his behavior was completely normal.

"You just turned down a roll in the hay." Sam leaned in towards his brother, hoping he could see further into Dean's mind.

"I know. It's weird." He finished the beer, and got up to leave. "You ready?"

"What's the rush?" Sam polished off his own beer and rushed to catch up to Dean as he headed for the door.

"I don't want to leave her alone for too long. You know, in case she has another vision." Dean stuck his hands in his jeans pockets to warm them against the cold winter air.

"Yeah, good thought." Sam knew his brother had changed over the last two years, but this was something he never expected to see Dean become, committed.

"See you in the morning, Sam." Dean slid the key card through the lock mechanism and listened for the click. His hand slowly turned the knob, pushing the door open.

"See you, Dean." Sam was already making his way into his room, still in disbelief of the night's developments.

The darkness of the room hid the terror that flooded her mind. Alyssa was trapped within her own dream, fighting against a nightmare that threatened to consume her soul.

The sky seemed to be on fire. Black clouds billowed across a breathing red sky as if it were smoke. Lightning flashed briefly illuminating the world around them revealing an abandoned town.

The dirt and gravel streets of the desolate town were muddy from recent rains. There were no street signs, no building markers, nothing to tell her where they were.

Her lungs burned as she gulped the hot dry air, trying desperately to feed more oxygen into her over-exerted limbs, silently pleading with her legs to keep running. Dean ran beside her, keeping pace relatively easily. They each gripped their guns in their right hands, looking back for the thing that was chasing them.

Dean turned to the right, guiding her towards what used to be the center of the town. She could see a landmark of some kind growing larger as they neared it.

"Wait," he breathed heavily, slowing their pace, "maybe we lost them."

Alyssa stopped with him, leaning against a well, trying to catch her breath. She took the break to study their surroundings, committing them to memory. There was something significant about this place, so knowing what she was looking at was extremely important.

Another lightning bolt crossed the sky, giving her a glimpse of the object they leaned against. Over the well hung a large brass bell engraved with a tree.

'Remember', she told herself.

The menacing growling of large dogs interrupted their brief respite.

Both of their right arms shot out, guns in hand, pointing at the approaching sounds. Another flash of lightning shot across the sky, bringing into view a large cloud of dust heading their way.

"Come on!" Alyssa started pulling on Dean's arms, leading him away from the sounds.

"I can't outrun them anymore," Dean lowered his gun, looking at his feet, giving up. He'd fought long enough, and it was time to let go and give her and their son a chance at a normal life. "My time is up, Alyssa. Sam's alive, and I have to pay up. It's over."

"No. I'm not giving up. Not now. Sam needs you. Your son needs you. I need you." She grabbed his face in her free hand, forcing him to turn his head. "We can make it. Look."

Dean's precious Impala waited for them. Its headlights were on, as if anticipating their arrival. The engine was idling, promising them escape, if only they could make it.

They were close enough to the car to see a face in the lightning. That face belonged to their son, who crawled around in the car, waiting for his parents to return. Their future was in the Impala. Their only way out of this was to get to the car, to their son, and drive away from all of this.

"We can't give up!" Alyssa screamed over the thunder roaring through the air. "We're so close. Just a little further, Dean!"

The light of life seemed to fill his eyes once again. Her heart swelled for him, wanting him to never leave her. She knew he would fight to the very end, and she would be right there with him fighting just as hard.

"Let's go!" Dean led the way this time, but Alyssa kept up with him.

Growling, snarling, sounds of nails digging into the gravel and dirt grew louder behind them. She could feel the heat of the hellhounds' putrid breath on her back. They were gaining on them; they were coming to collect their due.

Alyssa chanced a look over her right shoulder as she ran. She knew only those who were being collected were supposed to be able see them, but somehow she could see them. Panic rose in her throat at the sight of four hellhounds bearing down on them, hell bent to catch them, literally.

The hounds were much larger than wolves. Their fur was black as night, hellfire smoke rolling off of them as they hunted their prey. Nails as long as eagle talons shredded the earth beneath them with each stride. Red eyes bobbed up and down with the rhythm of their pursuit.

She stretched her right arm back, never missing a beat in her flight, and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the night, hitting its target. A pair of eyes disappeared, but there were still three more, and there was certainly no guarantee another wouldn't show up to take the dead one's place.

'How did I kill a hellhound with a gun?' the thought was there, lingering in the background of the fear and desire to escape. As far as she knew, there was no way to kill a hellhound. Dean wasn't questioning it, so she accepted it for now and kept running.

Lightning danced across the black clouds, allowing them brief glimpses of the world around them, but the two hunters only had their sights set on one thing: the Impala.

The car grew closer as they made progress. Alyssa knew they would make it. They had to make it. Failure was not an option here. Dean would be with her. He would be free of his deal if, no when, they made it to the car.

The feeling of relief and renewed hope washed over her as she and Dean nearly collided with the car. Her hands found the warmth of the hood comforting and the purring of the engine much like a lullaby.

Their son, J.D., was inside the car. He was calm as if the world around him wasn't bubbling with fire and brimstone, seemingly unaware of the evil hunting his parents.

Alyssa tried to open the door of the car, but to her horror, the Impala was locked, the keys in the ignition. Dean looked across the top of the car with the same look of dread and disbelief. They had come so far, gotten this close, just to be stopped by the locks of a car door.

She laid her left hand on the window, her gun hand below the car door, so as not to scare her son. "Open the door for Mommy," she spoke unhurriedly, hoping not to frighten him.

Alyssa could see her son's eyes, green like his father's, staring at her. His smile at seeing her warmed her heart; lending to the hope they could be free of this world.

"Open the door, kiddo. Pull the lock up." Dean was doing his best to stay as calm as he could, knowing any sign of fear would be picked up by his son.

The world around them went dead silent. No thunder, no lightning, no growls, just silence. Dean and Alyssa searched the darkness for what they could feel was out there, hiding, hunting, ready to strike.

"SONUVABITCH!"

Alyssa snapped her attention across the car where Dean had been but a second before. She bolted around the hood. "Dean!" He had been dragged to the ground by the hellhound gripping his boot in its yellow-stained teeth, dripping with drool. His fingers dug into the ground, not releasing the earth, trying to keep himself from being taken away.

"NO!" Alyssa dove through the air and was able to grab Dean's arm. She pulled her to him as her own arms wrapped around his torso, gripping him with all the strength in her body.

Dean's large hands gripped her arms, pulling at her skin. But she ignored the pain, knowing his life was what mattered. As he used her body weight to fight the teeth that grabbed at his feet, she squeezed off a round into the face of the hound. It, like the first one, disappeared giving her the opportunity to pull Dean free.

She held him against her body, her back braced against the driver side door of the Impala, her gun hand aiming into the blackness, searching for the next target.

Dean breathed heavily against her, groaning in pain.

Alyssa lowered her gun, her mind now set on finding what was causing him so much agony. She reached beyond him, pulling his jeans above his boots.

He inhaled sharply as the material was dragged across his bloodied legs. Alyssa saw the deep gashes in his calves, bleeding freely. She had to get him out of here and fast. Dean would either be taken by the hellhounds or bleed to death from the wounds.

"Dean, get up." She struggled to get him into a seated position.

"Damn! I can't move my legs."

"Yes, you can. Now get up!" She pushed him off of her and started to reach for the door handle of the car. The absence of his weight on her legs snapped her attention back to him.

"Alyssa!"

She could only stare in disbelief as Dean was once again ripped away from her, only this time it had been so quick, she hadn't had time to react.

"Dean!" She screamed as she watched him disappear into the darkness, the red eyes of the hellhound who had taken him boring into her soul. She knew she would lose him this time.

Her heart shattered with failure. She couldn't save him. She had tried her hardest to keep him with her, but she had let him down, and let him die. All that was left of him now was his voice yelling her name over and over again. Tears streamed down her face as he heard him in the night, still calling to her. She felt no shame in crying for her loss now. Not only did she lose him, now her son would no longer have a father.

Her son. She remembered he was in the car. Had he seen the horrible spectacle of his father being pulled into the pits of hell? She could only imagine what his young innocent mind must be thinking.

She got to her feet, feeling the weight of her own disappointment in herself weighing her down. What would she tell her son? What would she tell Sam? Bobby? She didn't even want to think of facing Bobby with the knowledge that she had been unable to save Dean.

To her amazement, her son still seemed unafraid.

'Maybe he didn't see anything. Oh, please, let him be blind to all of this.' She begged her inner self.

"Unlock the door for Mommy, J.D." Her voice so did not match the sorrow welling within her soul. She tried to keep an upbeat, carefree air about her so as not to scare her son, but inside she was dying, second by second she felt as if she were losing her grip on her own sanity.

Alyssa waited for her son to unlock the door to the Impala. Once she was inside, she would grab him up in her arms and never let him go. He was all she had left of Dean now.

The young child in the car with his father's green eyes, dark blonde hair, and the same smile that could melt her heart was all she had left in this world to remind her of the man who had stolen her heart when she was fourteen years old.

J.D. had crawled into the front seat of the car, holding the steering wheel for balance. He wasn't seeing his mother. There was something behind her that had drawn his attention.

Alyssa noticed the look of fear on J.D.'s face, but she didn't have time to turn around and face the thing that had frightened her son before her legs were swept out from under her.

"NO! You have him! It was his debt! Not mine!" The skin on her legs shredded apart as the nails of the hellhound dug in to keep her from escaping. She could feel her own blood, warm and wet, soaking through her jeans. Her feet no longer responded to her demands to kick, the tendons having been severed.

The eyes of the demon dog were blazing with red fury, the smoke of its fur streaming off into the night air. Its teeth were embedded into her skin. She aimed her gun, and pulled the trigger, but the click of the empty chamber was all she heard. She was out of bullets. There was no escape. Her son would be left in this nightmare of a world, alone and terrified.

She craned her neck to look up into the driver's side window. Her son's small fingers were unlocking the door, but it was too late. The last thing she did see, through the tears blurring her vision, was her son. His lips mouthed "mommy", and then he was gone.

Her body shook as the beast dragged her across the ground. Dean's voice was still calling her name through the darkness.

'How could he still be alive?' was her final thought as the darkness swallowed her.