A/N: Dedication is also to VioletErin26 I don't know why it didn't include your full username I apologize.
Chapter 11
Dean could cross patience off his list, which was something he was in short supply of. Most of the spirits on the Soul Train were asleep or talking softly amongst each other. The electric lights above them were shining a yellow glow upon their features and making them seem even deader. Dean sat across from Sam and Gabriel and Holly who was lying down on the seat and sleeping as well, her head in Gabriel's lap. Gabriel smiled and carded his fingers gently through the girl's hair.
"I've got a way with kids," Gabriel said to Dean. "Believe it or not Dean-o kids actually like me."
"Course they do you pull candy out your ass," Dean chuckled. "Who doesn't love that?"
Sam laughed and Holly stirred, turning over and burying her face into Gabriel's chest. Gabriel sighed and rubbed her back.
"Spirits on the Soul Train and in Heaven for that matter, don't dream," Gabriel explained. "It's often hard for them to even sleep sometimes."
Holly tossed and turned for a moment before thrashing and awakening in a cold sweat. She panted and grabbed at the air around Dean's jacket. He leaned forward, getting down on his hands and knees and smoothed her hair back.
"What is it kiddo?" Dean asked, trying to retain most of his masculinity, but he couldn't help but allow himself to go soft in front a child. "You're ok."
"Dean…" Holly grabbed onto the folds in his shirt and gripped tight, pressing her face into his stomach. Dean pulled her closer and hugged her. He rocked her back and forth.
"You listen to me Holly," Dean looked down at her and she looked up into his eyes hers were red and raw from crying. "I'm gonna get you to Heaven you hear me? Then once I fix Heaven? Your mom she's gonna be right up there with yah you hear me sister?"
"Y-Yes Dean," Holly nodded and wiped her nose on her arm. "I'm just…"
"Just what?" Dean asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. He ruffled her hair multiple times and smiled.
"Scared." Holly admitted her voice shaky.
"You know what Holly," Dean smiled a little brighter. "I'm scared too. Heck I'm terrified."
"B-But you're so brave." Holly said.
"You can be the bravest person alive and you can still be terrified," Dean explained. "But what makes you brave is how you react in the face of danger. If you run, you're letting that fear get to you, but if you stand up and give it all you've got and fight? Well then you're brave. I wanna see you be brave Holly. No matter what happens, know that I'm going to be right behind you, but if the time comes you can be brave. For me, for your mom, and for my team here? Can you do that?"
"I-I think so." Holly replied.
"Good." Dean patted her on the shoulder and kissed her forehead. "Now try to get some sleep ok?"
She nodded and snuggled, bony elbows and all, into Dean earning a surprised look from him. He didn't protest though, he even wrapped his jacket around her to keep her warm.
"He'd make a good dad." Gabriel whispered to Sam with a smirk.
"You're serious?" Sam chuckled.
"Yes I'm serious," Gabriel replied. "He has that appeal about him; he treats kids like equals to him not below him. I did always like that about him."
"Yeah," Sam nodded thoughtfully. "Dean would be a good dad."
Dean, unaware of the conversation about him taking place smiled down at a sleeping Holly once more and huddled up to her. He closed his own eyes and let sleep overtake him as the train sped on through the night.
-8-8-8-8-8-8-
They were all awoken by an abrupt stop and the train jerking them forward and almost out of their seats. Dean jerked awake and held Holly close as she nervously shook. Gabriel, Balthazar, and Lucifer jumped up and stared towards the doors.
"We have to move fast," Balthazar explained. "If we don't exit in time we'll be stuck on the train and we'll certainly be destroyed."
"Destroyed!" Holly cried out.
"Your soul and the Winchester's will cease to exist," Balthazar turned to Dean. "Essentially you and Sam will die and Holly will never make it."
"Then you better get a move on pretty boy because a line is forming." Dean said, motioning to the doorway and the crowd of people in their car that were waiting quite impatiently to get out. Balthazar motioned for everyone to follow him and they quickly earned their places in the crowd.
"When the doors open," Balthazar instructed. "Push like no tomorrow, anyone human, soul, or angel left behind? They'll surely be incinerated."
Dean gulped as he held onto Holly's hand tightly. He didn't want to leave her behind; at least it guaranteed they wouldn't be separated.
"Hold on to me and don't let go." Dean told her and she nodded, still frightened.
Castiel came up beside Dean and gave him a determined look which Dean returned. He and his friends had come too far to be knocked out of the game this early.
"On three Cas," Dean said as the doors begun to open. "One, two, three!"
He and Castiel pushed hard and with all their might. Sam and Gabriel were the first two off the train and were helping others off. Lucifer and Balthazar exited next and called for the remainder of their group. Castiel had a firm grip on Dean's left hand and Holly on his right. Their human chain was able to push through the rest of the stragglers and out the door, but not before one minor setback.
"Please no don't let me get stuck!" a little girl grabbed Holly's coat and wouldn't let go preventing any of them from moving. Dean and Castiel yelled at Holly to pull away, but Holly was paralyzed with fear. Dean finally had to rip the little girl's hand loose and yank Holly away from the closing doors. The remainder of the passengers pounded on the windows and cried. Holly started to turn around and she caught eyes with the little girl who was practically weeping. Dean grabbed Holly and pulled her to his chest before the train car's innards burst into flames engulfing the souls within.
Dean held Holly close until the train pulled away and out of sight. He let her go when he was sure it was gone and Holly was weeping herself.
"Hey you're ok," Dean cupped her cheek. "You're ok Holly, you're good, and you're here. It's ok."
"T-The g-girl…" Holly hiccupped.
"She's gone…" Dean sighed. "I'm sorry kid."
Holly cried for a few minutes and Dean held her. He knew what it was like to cry that hard and didn't want to rush her, but they had to get moving if they ever were going to reach Metatron.
"You're ok," Dean took her hand and guided her away from the train tracks towards the others who had been waiting patiently. "Where are we now?"
"If I'm correct," Balthazar said. "We're in the third Realm now, The Angelhound Realm."
"Angelhound?" Dean asked. "Wait a second you don't mean like…?"
"The angelic equivalent of Hellhounds?" Gabriel said. "You bet your sweet ass. Vicious suckers they are and they ain't little either."
"They're just dead dogs aren't they?" Sam asked. "How hard could that be?"
"Angelhounds are trained to fight with the warriors of Heaven Sam," Lucifer explained. "They're vicious and they show no mercy to anyone in their lands or that is a potential threat in their eyes. Their job is to kill. All in all we have to be careful. This is their turf."
The others nodded nervously and followed the fallen archangel away from the concrete platform.
"And now the fun begins." Lucifer sighed; Dean heard a hint of sarcasm in the archangel's voice. Dean knew something was off when he heard…absolutely nothing. It was silent. That unnerved him in a way he couldn't explain.
The people who had escaped the Soul Train looked around at one another and shrugged before a few brave souls walked off the platform and onto the long dead grass. The air was cold and one of the men shivered. Suddenly, there was a flash of fur and the man was knocked to the ground, a giant Angelhound looming over him with bright yellow eyes, baring its teeth and growling. The dog had a red collar around its neck and at the end were dog tags in the shape of angel's wings. The dog growled loudly and opened its fierce jaws bringing them down and closing them around the man's neck before he dissipated into thin air.
Dean swallowed hard, afraid to even move.
"So?" Sam chuckled nervously. "What do we do now?"
"Now," Balthazar explained suddenly taking off with Lucifer and Gabriel in tow. "We run!"
The other people from the Soul Train took off in various directions as well as more and more dogs appeared out of seemingly nowhere. They snarled and grabbed various souls in their big drool covered jaws, biting down hard and crushing them as they cried out. Dean and Holly ran fast, Castiel right beside them occasionally looking back at the danger hot on their tails.
Balthazar ran ahead and looked behind them as pack of Angelhounds had closed in and was running after their kill. Dean could feel their hot breath on the back of his neck, he tripped a few times but managed to keep his footing and continue running.
"Titan?" Balthazar questioned as he looked upon one of the dogs, his dog in particular. "Titan!"
The dog, Titan, stopped for a few moments and hesitated before going right back into killing mode and charging once again at Team Free Will.
"He's not listening to me!" Balthazar cried out to Lucifer.
"That old mutt of yours never listened anyways," Lucifer laughed a bit as they sprinted. "This remind you of the good times?"
"Yeah," Balthazar sprinted faster. "But only for about a minute!"
"D-Dean…I can't run any more…" Holly suddenly collapsed, they'd managed to stay away from the dogs but in mere moment's she'd be chow. Dean spun around and stopped, trying to get her to her feet and Castiel stopped to wait for him. The Angelhound, Titan, stopped in front of Dean and snarled fiercely and stared him down like a piece of meat.
"Cas…" Dean said. "Take Holly and go!"
"Dean! I'm not leaving you alone!" Castiel yelled.
"Cas this is no time to argue take Holly and go that's an order!" Dean exclaimed, passing the girl on to Castiel who gladly accepted her into his arms. Dean smirked and extended his arms as if he wanted a hug. "Come and get me you ugly son of a bitch!"
Dean took off running after Castiel and Holly who'd managed to catch up with the others. Dean didn't dare look back, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain shoot through his ankle and he cried out, falling to the ground. He looked up to see that the Angelhound had bitten his ankle and also shifted to the size of a humanly normal large dog. It growled loudly in Dean's ear and Dean felt his vision begin to fade in and out.
Dean felt dizzy and shaky all of a sudden and his eyes wanted to shut and he wanted to sleep. He felt cold and feverish and he shivered hard. The last thing he heard before he passed out was the sound of many footsteps running towards him and Balthazar shouting before the whole world around him went blank.
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So? CLIFFY! DUN! DUN! DUN! Will Dean be ok?!
Find out in the next chapter!
More to come soon folks!