Chapter Ten
Asmodeus groaned as the car came to a stop and looked around him, eyes coming to a rest on an unconscious Dean. He shook his shoulder but got no response and let out a choked sob. Sam groaned from his seat in front and Sanguini shifted beside him. Asmodeus suddenly turned to face the approaching demon and shoved the gun into Sam's hand, taking out his knife and climbing over Sanguini.
The demon yanked the door to Sam open, practically pulling it off its hinges and grinned at him.
"Come any closer and I'll shoot." Sam spat, aiming the gun at him and making the demon pause before it grinned.
"It ain't me you're savin' those bullets for. You won't shoot me."
"All the people I love are in this car. Try me." Sam said, cocking the gun. The demon paused and glanced at Sam then at everyone in the car, spotting Asmodeus and black smoke began to pool out of the truck driver's mouth.
The truck driver took in the scene in front of him in horror and gasped. Looking at Sam, Asmodeus and Sanguini, who had finally come around in perfect health.
"Oh god. Did I do this? Oh god. Oh god."
"Call for help." Asmodeus gasped, clutching at his stomach in pain as Sanguini held him close. The truck driver looked at him and then nodded and ran back to his truck to call fro help. Asmodeus then looked at Sanguini.
"You need to leave."
"What? I can't leave you alone now! It's almost here! I heard what Azazel said! You'll die!"
"No I won't. He was lying. You think Miranda would let me die? You have to leave 'Guini. You don't have a pulse, how will you explain that away?" Asmodeus asked and Sanguini nodded and opened his door and then closed it shut and looked at Asmodeus.
"Go find Bobby, tell him to collect the car and what happened. We'll stay with As." Sam told him with a small smile, getting a smile in return.
"I'll come to the hospital as soon as I can." Sanguini told them before fading into the shadows just as the truck driver came back.
--
The ambulances arrived later, when the sun had started to rise. Asmodeus, ran a hand over his collar as he watched the paramedics gently move John onto a stretcher with Sam watching, intently. Asmodeus moved to sit nearer to Dean and gave his shoulder another shake, tears building up in his eyes when he got no response.
"Come on Dean. You've got to wake up. I need you to wake up." Asmodeus whispered into Dean's ear and then glanced up in shock when another paramedic started to move him out of the way.
"It's okay, we'll look after him." The paramedic told him when Asmodeus looked at him in shock and didn't let go of Dean.
"Is he okay? Will he be alright?" Asmodeus asked, whilst Sam tried to move away from the paramedic checking him to look behind him at his brother and Asmodeus.
"We're going to take you all to the hospital." The paramedic told him gently moving Dean onto a stretcher and taking him to the other ambulance. Asmodeus shuffled along the seat to climb out of the car, hiding his wince of pain and followed the paramedic to the ambulance
"Sir, you really shouldn't be moving. You could be injured." Another paramedic called to him, running over to try and stop him from moving.
"No. Let me stay with him. I'll ride with him." Asmodeus said with a shake of his head, trying to pass the paramedic in his way to get to Dean.
"Let him ride with Dean, I'll go with my father." Sam told them weakly from where he was being led to the first ambulance that held John Winchester.
"Okay sir, I'll help you get into the ambulance with your brother. Are you hurting anywhere?" The paramedic asked, helping Asmodeus onto the ambulance and sitting him down in a chair next to Dean.
"He's not my brother. He's... something else..." Asmodeus mumbled, running a hand through the hair on Dean's head and missing the look the paramedic sent him.
"Right, are you hurting? You need to tell me so that I can see if you are injured anywhere." The paramedic said, trying to look Asmodeus over.
"No. I'm fine. Dean took the blow, so I was just bruised." Asmodeus mumbled, biting his lip as he looked at Dean's pale and bloodied face.
"Right, well we'll get to the hospital in no time." The paramedic said, banging on the wall of the ambulance and then sitting down next to Asmodeus as the ambulance started to move.
--
Asmodeus sat in the chair next to Dean's bed, head tilted to the side and occasionally wincing in pain. Sam was being checked over in the room next to this and John was still unconscious in another room down the hall. He had no idea where Sanguini was, or if he was okay. He was too high up from the ground to be able to talk to Miranda, though he did occasionally get a feeling of warmth run through him when the pain was particularly bad.
"Dean. You've got to wake up. I'm not family so they won't tell me anything. I need you to wake up. Please don't leave me." Asmodeus whispered, gripping onto Dean's unresponsive hand.
He looked up as the door opened and Sam walked in and took a look at them. He smiled sadly and walked over so that he was standing beside Asmodeus.
"How is he?"
"I don't know. They won't tell me. I'm not family." Asmodeus mumbled, which caused Sam to frown.
"Have you looked at his file?" Sam asked, moving to the end of the bed and flipping through them.
"No."
"Well I can't understand a thing this says. Can you tell me?" Sam asked, handing the file over to Asmodeus, who let go of Dean's hand to take it and then read over it and paled. "What? What's wrong?"
"He's sustained a lot of damage. It doesn't look good. There's some blood loss, though not a lot, and his kidney and liver are bruised. Which shouldn't be much cause for concern at this point in time. Surprisingly, his spleen is fine, which is normally the first thing to get damaged in a serious crash." Asmodeus said quietly as he read through the file, adopting a professional voice as he explained it to Sam. "The serious damage however is the bang he took to his head. There's some early signs of cerebral oedema."
"Oh god. What do we do?" Sam asked, walking over to the chair on the other side of the bed and sinking down into it.
"Not much we can do. There will be no way of knowing his full condition until he wakes up..." Asmodeus ducked his head down and clenched his eyes shut as tears rolled down his cheeks. "If he wakes up."
"If?" Sam asked weakly, looking over Dean to Asmodeus, who was shuddering with suppressed sobs.
"Most... Most people who have this degree of injury to their brain... They don't... He's survived longer than most... Maybe he's fighting harder... B-but, we need to be realistic Sammy. The chances are high that... that he won't..." Asmodeus broke off and hid his head down behind the file.
"As?"
"Sorry. How's your dad?"
"He was still unconscious last I saw him." Sam said, looking at Dean sadly. The door to the room opened and a doctor walked in and looked at the two awake in the room, taking in the fact that Asmodeus had Dean's file in his hands and frowned unhappily.
"Hmm. What are you doing with that?" The doctor asked, taking the file out of Asmodeus' weak grasp and placing it back at the bottom of the bed after he had looked through it.
"I was looking to see what was wrong with Dean. I attended medical school until I had to leave for family emergency." Asmodeus explained, not looking up from his lap. The doctor glanced at him and his eyes softened.
"Well, I suppose I don't have to explain what is wrong then?"
"No, I explained it to Sam. We are prepared for the worst." Asmodeus said weakly, voice breaking up at the end.
"Your father is awake by the way." The doctor said to Sam, who nodded and stood up.
"I'm going to go talk to Dad, you staying here As?" Sam asked, looking at Asmodeus in concern. Asmodeus nodded and took hold of Dean's hand once more. "Right, I'll be back in a bit."
"Doctor?" Asmodeus called out quietly after the door had shut behind Sam. The doctor looked up from where he was checking over Dean's vitals and looked at him in question.
"Yes?"
"Who is paying for their insurance?"
"No one currently, we couldn't find any information on them."
"Right, well here is my insurance information. I'll pay for them. Make sure they get the best help and um... please can you make Dean as comfortable as possible?"
"I'll see to it that it is done." The doctor said, taking the card Asmodeus handed to him. Asmodeus smiled weakly at him and then gasped out in pain as he crumpled off his chair and onto the floor. The doctor rushed over to him and held his hand out to check him over.
"Where does it hurt? Why did you tell no one that you were injured?"
"I'm not." Asmodeus gasped out, as the pain hit him again, this time almost trebled in intensity.
"You are clearly in pain. Where does it hurt."
"No. You need to check Dean." Asmodeus ground out through his gritted teeth, moving away from the doctor. He stopped suddenly as his arm gave out and he fell to the floor and curled up in pain, holding back the scream he wanted to let out.
The doctor looked at him on the floor and then pressed the call button and moved to try and check Asmodeus over, to see if he could find where he was injured.
"You'll be okay. We'll help you."
"No! You can't! I'm fine!" Asmodeus groaned put desperately.
"We need to get you to another room. Just hold on for a second, help will be here soon." The doctor said gently, ignoring what Asmodeus was trying to tell him.
"No! Please! Don't take me away from him!"
"Shh, you'll be alright. I know it hurts, but just take deep breaths and we'll see what we can do to help." The doctor soothed, helping the call nurses move Asmodeus up onto a stretcher. Asmodeus whimpered as they rolled him out of the room and the pain increased even more as the door shut and severed his link with Dean.
"No!" Asmodeus cried out, and then he gave in and arched his back with a scream of agony. The door to John's room opened and Sam ran out, looking at Asmodeus in concern and horror.
"What's going on? I thought he was fine!" Sam called out, running over to them and stopping next to Asmodeus as he gripped onto his shirt with a surprisingly strong grip.
"Don't. Leave. Me." Asmodeus gasped out, not letting go of Sam. Sam gently released Asmodeus' grip from his shirt and held his hand, following along as they wheeled him into a room next to Johns.
"You'll be okay As." Sam whispered.
"Sanguini! I. Need. 'Gui." Asmodeus gasped out, clinging on to Sam desperately.
"Okay. I'll go get him. I need to leave anyway to find some things my dad needs and to get to Bobby." Sam said, letting go of Asmodeus' hand and walking back.
"No! Please! Stay!" Asmodeus cried out in fear.
"I can't As. I need to get these things to help Dean." Sam told him and Asmodeus closed his eyes in defeat and then nodded, gasping in pain as it lanced through his body. Sam smiled at him weakly and then walked out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind Sam and he walked away from the room to the lifts, Asmodeus arched off the bed he had been moved onto, once again and opened his mouth in a silent scream. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth as the doctors rushed in a panic trying to find out what was wrong with him.
"Check his bp, his heart rate has spiked. Can anyone see of any injury?" The first doctor called out, looking over the data a computer hooked to Asmodeus was spilling out.
"Bp is high." A nurse called out, taking the arm band off of Asmodeus' limp arm and folding it back onto the machine next to her.
"There is no sign of injury. No bruising or rigid organs. Nothing. There is no physical sign to show what is wrong with him." Another doctor called out as he cut away Asmodeus' clothes to check him. Asmodeus gave a chocked cry and blood spattered from his mouth, and began to trickle down from his tear ducts and out of his ears.
"Heart rate is at a dangerous level." The doctor said, not taking his eyes off of the machine.
"Dean!" Asmodeus cried out weakly, before he slumped down to the bed unconscious. The doctors exchanged a glance and then moved into action and wheeled him out of the room.
"Call down for an emergency OR. We'll have to open him up to see what is wrong." The doctor called out, not noticing how Asmodeus was starting to glow slightly or that the further they got away from the two remaining Winchesters, the more his heart rate began to drop.
--
Sam drove away from the hospital, ignoring the feeling in his gut that told him it was a bad idea and made his way to Bobby's where he hoped he would find Sanguini. Alive and well.
It took almost an hour to reach Bobby's junkyard and he gave a small sigh of relief when he saw Dean's battered Impala outside the house. He climbed out of the car and ran up to the door and knocked on it. He didn't have to wait long for Bobby to answer, Sanguini standing behind him looking upset about something.
"Where's Asmodeus?" Sanguini asked when he saw Sam standing there alone.
"He's in the hospital. Apparently he was injured in the crash and when I left they were checking him over and discussing surgery." Sam told him, worried about his friend and brother.
"Is Dean with him?"
"Dean's unconscious still."
"Shit. Please tell me that John is with him!" Sanguini demanded, walking to stand just in front of Bobby.
"No. He's not. Why? What's wrong?"
"Didn't you listen to Azazel?"
"As said he was lying."
"Asmodeus was lying! He's gonna die!" Sanguini cried out, before looking at Bobby and then Sam. "Why did you leave him? Did he ask you to stay?"
"He did." Sam admitted in a quiet voice, looking down in shame. "I needed to get some things for dad that might help Dean."
"You told him that, didn't you?" Sanguini asked in a resigned voice.
"Yeah, he just told me to go."
"Yeah, he would put Dean before himself. We need to get back there ASAP."
"Okay, Bobby, Dad needs this?" Sam said, handing the list to Bobby, who read over it with a frown.
"What's John want with this?" Bobby asked suspiciously, causing Sanguini to frown and look at the list then look at Sam in confusion.
"Protection from the demon." Sam told them and then frowned when Bobby and Sanguini exchanged a look. "What?"
"Nothin'. It's just, uh..."
"Bobby, Sanguini. What's goin' on?" Sam asked. Bobby floundered slightly and Sanguini took pity on the man and sighed.
"Your precious fool of a father is summoning a demon, not protecting against one." Sanguini told him.
"What?"
"You heard."
"Then we need to stop him!"
"We need to get to Asmodeus. Your fool father can do whatever he damn well pleases as long as... Shit. We can't let him summon a demon."
"That's what I said!" Sam exclaimed.
"No! Don't you see! Asmodeus is weak and helpless. No one is near him to protect him! If your father manages to summon a demon, nothing on this earth that he offers them is going to hold them back when they catch scent of Asmodeus, weak. They will want bragging rights to killing the last true elemental demon."
"Elemental demon?" Sam asked curiously.
"How else do you think he can talk to the earth and the moon. Though if I'm honest I have no idea how he can talk to the moon. She normally watches over my kind, not his." Sanguini admitted with a frown.
"Well, you two had better head back to the hospital and stop John. In case he asks, here's what he asked for."
"You're going to give it to him?" Sanguini cried out in horror as he watched Bobby hand the herbs and items to Sam, who took them and placed them in his pockets.
"Nothing will stop John from doing this. At least this way we can try and talk him out of it." Sam explained and Sanguini sighed in defeat.
"Whatever, we don't have time for this. Hold on to me and I'll get us to the hospital." Sanguini said to Sam, who nodded and then held on tightly to the arm Sanguini offered. They disappeared from Bobby's house with a small pop.
--
Dean watched in horror as Asmodeus had collapsed on the floor in pain and tried to reach out to him to help, forgetting that he couldn't be heard or felt.
"As! What's wrong? Please As! Please try and hear me! Miranda can help you to hear me!" Dean called out, watching as Asmodeus was wheeled from the room and he followed closely behind, frowning when Asmodeus screamed as the door shut. He gasped and his eyes widened in realisation and horror.
"As! You need us near you or you're going to die! As, you can't die! Sam will need you if I can't get back to my body! Think about Sammy! And Sanguini!" Dean cried out, looking up when Sam ran out of the room and asked what was going on.
"Come on As, be strong! You can't let this beat you! Miranda won't be happy if you die! She'll take it out on me! You know she will!" Dean said, trying to smile at Asmodeus, but only sobbing when Asmodeus gave another cry of pain. He watched in growing horror as Sam left the room and Asmodeus began to bleed.
"No! As! Sam! Come back! Nothing is more important than staying with As! You heard what Azazel said!" Dean cried out, following behind Sam, who obviously didn't hear him. He stopped when Sam got on the lift and then ran back to the room Asmodeus was in.
"He's not going to make it. It doesn't look good." A nurse whispered to another as Dean passed them and ran to Asmodeus' side and tried to hold his hand.
"Goddammit! Why can't he see me?" Dean cried out in frustration, sobbing when he saw Asmodeus give a choked cry and blood began to run out of his eyes and ears.
"Heart rate is at a dangerous level." The doctor next to him told the others in the room and Dean scowled before he climbed onto the bed and straddled Asmodeus, placing his hands on Asmodeus' cheeks.
Asmodeus gave a pained gasp and looked at Dean in wonder before he arched up again. "Dean!" Dean gave a small smile, which turned into a frown when Asmodeus fell unconscious.
"No! Come on! You saw me! I know you did! You know I'm here." Dean cried out then looked up when the bed he was currently sitting on began to move.
"Call down for an emergency OR. We'll have to open him up to see what is wrong." The doctor called out and Dean frowned at him.
"What? No! You can't! It's higher up in the hospital! He needs to be lower! Listen to me dammit! Argh! Why can't you help him Miranda? He's going to die!" Dean sobbed, dropping down onto Asmodeus and burying his head into the shallowly breathing chest. "Please As. Please stay alive." Dean whispered into the barely moving chest.
As the lift moved further up in the hospital, Asmodeus' breathing became more and more laboured until he arched up and then slumped down unmoving and not breathing.
"He's flatlining! Get the defib!" The doctor called out, running to Asmodeus side.
"No! As! Please! For me!!" Dean cried out, trying to shake Asmodeus but his hands just went through him.
"Charge at 180." The doctor called out, rubbing the defibrillator pads together and then pressing them to Asmodeus' chest, which coincidentally went through Dean, who moved backwards to watch. The pads shocked Asmodeus, who jolted but his heart rate did not pick up.
"As!"
"Charge at 200." The pads were pressed to Asmodeus again, and with another jolt, Asmodeus slumped back onto the bed. The beeping on the monitor became more steady and Asmodeus suddenly gave a gasp and his eyes flew open, the green glowing slightly. He locked eyes with Dean and looked at him in confusion.
"Dean?"
"Mr Tenebrion? Can you hear me? Are you in any pain?" The doctor called out seeing that Asmodeus was responsive.
"As. Stay with me alright? Don't give up. You'll be fine."
"What are you doing here?"
"Mr Tenebrion. Who are you talking to?" The doctor asked, looking at Asmodeus in concern.
"No one can see me. You can because Miranda ensured that you would be able to. I don't know how that works but clearly it does. Look, As, they're taking you to surgery! You need to stop them." Dean said, leaning down to look at Asmodeus in the eyes.
"Stop." Asmodeus said weakly, looking away from Dean and to the doctor next to him.
"We're taking you to the OR room to see what is wrong."
"No. You can't. No permission." Asmodeus stated, trying to get his message across.
"We have to find out."
"No. Take... Take me back."
"Mr Tenebrion."
"No permission."
"But... Sir..."
"No."
"Fine. Push the button to the other floor please nurse Rivers." The doctor said in defeat to the nurse. She nodded and then pressed another button just as the doors opened on the floor they wanted. The doors closed again and the lift started to lower.
"As, you're gonna be fine. I'm gonna stay with you."
"'Guini."
"Sanguini isn't here. I dunno where he is." Dean told him, moving his face closer to Asmodeus' and attempting to place a kiss on his lips but not succeeding, much to his frustration. Asmodeus smiled softly at him and tried to lift his arm to touch Dean, but dropping it weakly back onto the bed he was on.
The lift doors opened once more on the floor that held the Winchester's and Asmodeus gave a small groan in pain, causing the doctor to pause and then shake his head sadly.
"We're nearly at your room Mr Tenebrion. Are you sure we can't convince you to go into surgery."
"Place me with Dean." Asmodeus told them weakly, causing the doctors and nurses to exchange glances.
"Sir, it's a private room. We can't put you in there."
"I'm paying." Asmodeus ground out, making Dean give a small grin.
"Sir..."
"Dean's room." Asmodeus demanded and the doctor sighed and then nodded to the nurses, who then moved the bed holding Asmodeus past the room Asmodeus had been put in first and down to Dean's own room.
When they opened the door, John, who was sitting in the chair next to Dean's bed, looked up and frowned when he saw a very pale and still bleeding Asmodeus being wheeled into the room.
"Dad." Dean whispered, making Asmodeus frown and try to move to see John Winchester.
"What's goin' on?" John asked, standing up as the nurses moved the bed to the space between Dean's bed and the window.
"He asked to be put in here. He's paying so we couldn't deny him."
"He's payin'?"
"Yes, he gave us his details to pay for yours and your sons treatment and now his own."
"What's wrong with him? Was he injured in the crash? Sam never mentioned it."
"We don't know. He won't let us take him to surgery to see. Can you override his permission?" The doctor asked, looking at John hopefully.
"No. He's only a friend of my sons. I have no say in his medical decisions or any decisions he makes."
"Oh. Okay then. Well we will leave you alone, press the call button should either one worsen." The doctor told him, and then with one last look at Asmodeus he sighed and left the room, the nurses following behind him.
"Dad, you need to stay in this room. You can help him as well." Dean said, moving off of Asmodeus to walk over to his father.
"Dean!" Asmodeus cried out, blood seeping out of his mouth and making John and Dean look over at him in horror.
"What's wrong with you boy? Why do you want to be in here?" John asked, walking to stand over Asmodeus, who looked up at him with a glazed expression on his face.
"Dean." Asmodeus whispered, getting a frown from John, which deepened when the blood trickle grew and blood trickled out of his nose.
"What's happening to you? Why won't you let them treat you?" John asked, looking behind him at Dean's body.
"Need. Dean. Sam."
"What do you need with my boys?"
"Dad! Now is not the time for over protective bullshit! You haven't even tried to call for help! Aren't you gonna do anything? I mean, I know you don't like As, but what about me? I've done everything you have ever asked me. Everything!" Dean said, nearing tears and Asmodeus moved his head weakly to the side to look past John and at Dean's ghost self.
"Dean. Don't. You need strength." Asmodeus called out weakly, eyes fluttering shut and thus missing the look of confusion on John's face.
Dean looked at Asmodeus and then at his father and smiled softly. "Yeah, come on dad. Get suspicious! He can see me! You need to realise that!" Dean called out, stepping closer to him and then looking down at Asmodeus, whose face was scrunched up in pain even in sleep.
"You've got a lot of questions to answer when you wake up boy." John muttered looking down at Asmodeus with a glower. Dean watched and rolled his eyes, then threw his arms up in the air.
"God Dad! He might not wake up! Don't you see the damned blood! Can't you understand that he's dying!" Dean cried out, voice breaking up at the end. John looked away from Asmodeus and then moved back to his seat next to Dean's bed and looked at his unconscious son.
The silence of the room was broken minutes later by a cry of pain from Asmodeus, who had shifted on his bed and was now on his side facing Dean's body. John looked at him and frowned when he saw that he was still bleeding. Then he noticed something and stood up. He walked over to the window and pulled the blinds shut.
Dean watched his father with a frown on his face, confused as to what he was doing. John then turned and walked closer to Asmodeus and gasped. Dean looked at his father then at Asmodeus and he also gaped at him.
"Shit As. You're glowing. Crap. Even normal, naïve people will know that's not normal. Crap." Dean muttered, watching Asmodeus then looking at his father when John moved closer to Asmodeus and reached out to touch the collar around his neck. "Don't touch it dad.' Dean warned, with was obviously unheeded as John's hand moved closer. Dean growled and the glass of water next to his bed exploded, getting John's attention and he moved his hand away from the collar.
--
Not long after the glass had exploded, Sam entered the room with Sanguini following behind closely. Sam frowned at his father whilst Sanguini gasped and rushed over to Asmodeus' bed, touching his face gently and smiling when Asmodeus moved into the touch, the pain etched on his face, lessening slightly and the blood trickle slowing down a touch.
"Sanguini! Thank god you're here! You need to help him!" Dean cried out, moving to stand next to the vampire.
John looked at them then turned back to Sam, who was pulling items out of his pocket and slamming them down on the table next to John with a scowl.
"You're quiet." John observed, getting the attention of everyone bar Asmodeus in the room.
"You think I wouldn't find out?" Sam asked, looking at John in anger.
"Sam? Sammy, what's going on? You need to help Asmodeus, Sam!"
"What are you talkin' about?" John asked gruffly, looking at the objects Sam had slammed down in front of him.
"That stuff from Bobby. You don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you, and having some stupid macho showdown!" Sam hissed and Sanguini stood up straighter to glare at John.
"I have a plan Sam."
"That's exactly my point! Dean is dying and you have a plan! You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!" Sam exclaimed throwing his arms in the air. "Its not only Dean though! It's Asmodeus! You summon the demon here and he will leave you to get to As! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"
"I am doing this for Dean. I don't care about that other thing you call a friend."
"Asmodeus is more important than you realise." Sanguini growled out and Dean looked between them all helplessly.
"Dean!" Asmodeus cried out suddenly getting the attention of everyone else.
"Yeah As? We need you here, everyone is going insane without you. Look at Sanguini!" Dean said when Asmodeus looked at him tiredly.
"Dean. Stop. Stop him." Asmodeus whispered, looking at Dean and ignoring everyone else in the room.
"Who's he talking to?' Sam asked, looking at Asmodeus in confusion.
"He's been doing that since he was wheeled in here almost an hour ago. Thinks he's talking to Dean. He's delirious." John muttered, glaring at Asmodeus. Sam frowned and Sanguini looked at Asmodeus then at Dean.
"He is." Sanguini stated, getting the attention of John and Sam, as well as Asmodeus.
"'Guini. Dean's here." Asmodeus said softly, grabbing on to Sanguini's hand.
"I know. Where is he? Is he all right? What is he saying?" Sanguini asked, looking past Asmodeus to the spot where Asmodeus had been looking at, exactly where Dean was standing.
"Dude! You believe him! As, tell him you're in pain! Tell him to help you! Tell him to get you out of here and outside!" Dean said to Asmodeus frantically, looking up at Sanguini in the hopes that the vampire had heard him as well.
"No. Stay here. All here." Asmodeus mumbled, looking at Dean.
"You sayin' he can see Dean? That Dean's in this room, but not in his body? Like a ghost?" John asked, frowning at Sanguini. Sam looked at his father then at Asmodeus hopeful.
"Something like that. I've heard it happen before but I've never witnessed it. When someone is unconscious, it is said that their spirit separates from their body and wanders around until they either wake up or..." Sanguini trailed off and looked down at Asmodeus.
"Or what?" John demanded.
"Or they die." Sam told him quietly.
"What?"
"Have the doctors told you anything about Dean, Dad?" Sam asked, looking down at his brother's body.
"No, they were away with another patient, which I assume was that boy." John said, nodding his head at Asmodeus.
"Well, As told me what was wrong with Dean. There is a high likelihood that he won't wake up. He's dying Dad." Sam told John, tears building up in his eyes.
"How did he know?"
"He read Dean's file. He went to med school. He knows what he's talking about." Sam told him, looking over at his friend, who was still looking at thin air, or what he assumed was Dean.
"As. Tell them I've seen something in the hospital." Dean whispered to Asmodeus, who looked at him and then nodded slowly.
"Dean. Dean saw."
"What? What's he seen As?" Sam asked, moving past his father to stand next to Asmodeus.
"Reaper." Asmodeus whispered, looking away from Dean to another spot in the room where no one could see anything, which made Sam gulp and Sanguini go pale.
"Shit. Is the reaper in this room now As? As! This is important! Is the reaper near you?" Sanguini demanded, looking down at Asmodeus.
"Dean!" Asmodeus cried out, lurching towards Dean's body. Just as he did this, Dean flatlined and two doctors ran in, followed by two nurses with a defibrillator. Dean's spirit began to flicker and Asmodeus had tears running down his face as he watched the doctors run up to Dean's body.
John stood up but was pulled away from his oldest son by the nurse as the doctors rubbed the pads together.
"Try 300. All clear."
"Clear." A nurse called out and the doctor shocked him but got no response. Dean gave a gasp in pain and fell to his knees.
"No." Sam gasped out, sobbing. Sanguini held on to him and watched the doctors try to find a pulse on Dean.
"No pulse." The nurse called out and the doctor rubbed the pads together again.
"Nooo! Leave him alone!" Asmodeus cried out, looking at something near to Dean's body, something that Sanguini had a good idea of what it was.
"Okay, let's go again. 360." The doctor told them.
"Charging."
"All clear."
"Clear." The doctor said and pressed the pads to Dean's chest again but still with no result. Dean looked up from the floor and saw what Asmodeus was obviously seeing. There was a creature hovering over his body.
"You get the hell away from me. Stay back!" Dean called out, walking over to his bed and the creature.
'No change. I'm starting CPR." The doctor said, placing the defib pads back on the machine and moving over to Dean's body.
"I said 'get back!'" Dean yelled, so loudly in fact that his voice echoed in the room and Sanguini and Sam looked up in shock and then glanced at each other before looking at Asmodeus, who was silently crying as he watched Dean fight with the reaper.
Dean grabbed the reaper and it threw him into the wall. It then glanced at Asmodeus and grinned before leaving the room. Dean stood back up and tried to follow it, but it had vanished so he made his way back to the room.
"We have a pulse. We're back into sinus rhythm." The nurse stated and Sam slumped against Sanguini in relief as John sank back into his chair and looked at Dean. Asmodeus watched this, wincing in pain and closed his eyes, wishing he could help Dean get back.
"Don't worry Sammy. I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm getting' that thing before it gets me. Asmodeus said it was a reaper, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it." Dean told Sam, before looking at Asmodeus and smiling when Asmodeus nodded to him. Suddenly Dean turned, hearing a woman scream.
"Can't you see me?! Why won't you look at me?!" Dean glanced at the door then back to Asmodeus, who had opened his eyes and was frowning at Dean.
"You can hear that? How?" Dean asked, looking at Asmodeus with a frown on his face.
"Don't know. Go. Help." Asmodeus told him, much to the confusion of everyone else in the room.
"As? Is Dean still here? Is the reaper gone?" Sam asked, looking at Asmodeus.
"Gone."
"Thank god for that. Did it look at you Kitten? Did it notice you?" Sanguini asked frantically, getting a confused from Sam and John.
"What's going on? Why would it matter if it noticed As? Is he dying?" Sam asked weakly, looking down at Asmodeus, who smiled up at him softly but shook his head.
"No, he's alright now that we're all here with him. We're grounding him, even you John, as much as you would probably dislike that." Sanguini said with a wry grin, John just glared at him.
"Why are you worried about the reaper with him?" John asked, glancing at Asmodeus, who was taking deep breaths as the pain heightened.
"Reapers in the past have shown an unusual amount of interest in Asmodeus. No one knows why as they generally leave element demons alone. Or any demons in fact. But ever since someone failed to kill him when he was a little over one, its like reapers have taken an interest in him. They want him. I just don't know what for." Sanguini admitted unhappily with a frown, looking down at Asmodeus who appeared to be unconscious again.
"Will he be okay?"
"I don't know. The reaper appears to be after Dean."
"So we stop it?"
"You can't stop death Sam." Sanguini told him softly, glancing down when Sam looked at him upset.
"He's gonna die?"
"Looks like it. I'm sorry Sam." Sanguini said softly. No one noticed John frown at them then leave the room with the items Sam had brought for him.
"No. No there's got to be another way." Sam said, shaking his head and looking at Dean's body. "Turn him."
"What?" Sanguini asked in shock, looking at Sam and wondering if he had misheard.
"I said turn him. Make him one of you."
"I don't think you know what you're asking."
"Yes I do. He'll be a vampire. But he'll still be alive."
"Technically he won't. He'll be dead."
"I don't care! Turn him!"
"I would, but I can't." Sanguini admitted with a sigh.
"Why not?" Sam asked, looking at him desperately.
"It wouldn't work and Asmodeus wouldn't want that."
"How do you know?"
"Because he wouldn't be able to mate with him. Nekos and vampires don't mix well."
"You're brothers!"
"That's different. That's blood. Mating involves magic and neko magic just doesn't merge well with vampire magic. They're too different."
"So?"
"Aren't you listening to me? It would mean they can't be together!"
"I don't care! I want Dean alive!"
"It wouldn't work anyway, if anything it would just kill him quicker."
"Why?"
"Dean has been chosen by Mother Earth. She does not understand vampires and thus ignores them. If Dean was to be turned, she would fight against it and deny it, killing Dean in the process."
"So Dean would die either way?" Sam asked weakly.
"I'm sorry."
"Dad, what do you think?" Sam asked, looking up to look at his dad and frowning when he saw the empty chair. "Dad?"
"Shit, he's gone to summon the damned demon."
"What? He can't!"
"Well he has."
"We have to stop him!"
"It'll be too late. We don't know when he left! We need to stay here and watched over Dean and Asmodeus."
"Will they come for them?"
"I don't know. Let us hope not." Sanguini told him grimly, clenching his lips and glancing at the door warily.
--
Dean looked at Tessa suspiciously and crossed his arms over his chest when she looked up from her seat on the bed and she raised an eyebrow in question at him.
"You know, I remembered something I read once. It said that reapers can alter human perception. Basically, they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say... a pretty girl. You're much prettier than the last reaper I met." Dean told her getting a smile from the reaper.
"I was wondering when you'd figure it out. Honestly, I thought it would be sooner than this, given who your roommate is."
"I should've known. That whole 'accepting fate' rap of yours was far too laidback for a dead chick. But you know, the mother and the body – I'm still tryin' to figure that one out." Dean admitted with a small frown.
"It's my sandbox. I can make you see whatever I want."
"What is this, like, like a turn on for you? Huh? Toyin' with me?" Dean demanded.
"You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out – Kind of hurts a girls feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me. Of course, that damned neko probably didn't help things."
"Leave As out of this."
"I'm afraid I can't give up on him entirely. Once I've finished with you, he's next. Just depends on which reaper in this place gets to him first."
"You can't kill him!"
"Oh honey, I didn't say I would kill him. I'm to give him a gift. The gift so to speak. He's the first demon to receive one form us. But what do you expect from the chosen of the sisters."
"Who?"
"The sisters. You speak to one of them. I believe she goes by Miranda at the moment." Tessa told him.
"Oh. Why did you want to speak with me? What do you want to talk about?"
"How death is nothing to fear." She told him softly, taking a step towards him. "It's your time to go Dean." She said as she laid a hand on his cheek, making him shiver slightly. "And you're living on borrowed time already."
--
John finished drawing a symbol on the floor with some chalk and then moved candles into position and lit them. He spoke in Latin as he used a knife to slice his hand open. When he finished speaking, he lit a match and threw it into a bowl, sending sparks shooting in the air for a moment. John then stood up and waited. A moment later a hand landed on his shoulder making him jump and spin around to face the janitor.
"What the hell are you doin' down here, buddy?" The janitor asked him, frowning.
"I can explain."
"Yeah? You're gonna explain to security. Come on, you follow me." The janitor said to him, turning around. John smirked and then raised the Colt to aim it at the Janitors back.
"Hey." John called out and the janitor turned around. "How stupid do you think I am?" John asked. The janitor grinned and his eyes changed to a fiery yellow.
"Do you really want an honest answer to that?" He asked with a grin, as two doctors entered the room and stood behind John, keeping an eye on the two men. "You conjuring me, John. I'm surprise. I took you for a lot of things, but suicidally reckless wasn't one of them."
"I could always shoot you."
"You could always miss." He said with a grin as he mimicked dodging a bullet. "And you've only got two tries, don't ya? Did you really think you could trap me?"
"Oh, I don't wanna trap you." John said, lowering the gun. "I wanna make a deal." The janitor/Azazel stared at him and then grinned.
"It had better be a good deal. You've brought me to the place where there is a weakened neko just waiting for me to play with. Though I suppose Beelzebub might be a bit disappointed with me." He said with a wicked smirk that made John frown and hope he hadn't done something really stupid.
"It's better."
"You so sure? What do you want John?"
--
Sanguini glanced behind him as Asmodeus grunted in pain and writhed in his bed, sweating profusely and breathing in short gasps.
"As? Hold on okay? It can't be long now. You're nearly there." Sanguini whispered, placing a cold hand on Asmodeus' forehead to try and cool him down.
"Will he be okay?"
"I don't know." Sanguini admitted with a sad sigh as he looked down at his little brother, who was now whimpering slightly in pain.
"I'm gonna lose them both, aren't I?"
"Quite possibly. If Dean dies, then Asmodeus won't have anything to fight for."
"He has us."
"Not enough in his eyes. He doesn't want to be alone anymore."
"He won't be alone with us." Sam said, looking at Sanguini, who refused to look at him, choosing to look at Asmodeus instead.
"He won't want to try without Dean."
--
"Look, I'm sure you've heard this before... but you've gotta make an exception. You've gotta cut me a break."
"Stage three – bargaining."
"I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this... war. And they need me. Asmodeus needs me! I don't know what will happen to him if I die." Dean said and just for a second Tessa looked unsure. As though she was considering what Dean was asking.
Tessa then shook her head and looked at Dean sadly. "The fights over."
"No, it isn't."
"It is for you. Dean, you're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave, victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them."
"My brother – he could die without me."
"He will have the Lord Tenebrion and Prince de la Mer to watch over him. Not to mention your father." She said to him and Dean moved away from her. "It's an honourable death – a warriors death."
"I think I'll pass on the seventy-two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway." Dean said with a weak smile.
"That's funny. You're very cute. I can see what Lord Tenebrion saw in you."
"There's no such thing as an honourable death. I mean, my corpse is gonna rot in the ground and my family is gonna die." Dean paused in thought, then looked at her. "No. I'm not going with you. I don't care what you do."
"Well... like you said, there's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years, disembodied, scared. And over the decades, it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent."
"What are you sayin'?"
"Dean... how do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go, and they can't move on. And you're about to become one – the same thing you hunt."
--
"It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn't just another trick?" Azazel/Janitor asked, looking at John questioningly.
"It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullets. But you gotta help Dean. You gotta bring him back."
"Now why would I do something like that? He's only gonna make that damned neko stronger. Sure you want save Dean? Kill Dean and the neko will die as well. I know you want him dead. I was in your head remember." Azazel said with a grin.
"Maybe but I don't want Dean to have to die in order to get rid of it. Will you save my son for the gun and bullets?"
"John, you sentimentalist. If only your boys knew how much their daddy loved them."
"It's a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do Dean." John pointed out with a smirk.
"Don't be so sure. He helped to kill some people very special to me. But still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat. And neither is your other son, of course." Azazel said, grinning when John's smirk faded. "You know the truth, right? About Sammy and the other children? Lord Tenebrion does. Wonder if he's told anyone."
"Yeah. I've known for a while." John admitted.
"But Sam doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb." Azazel pointed out.
"I dunno if Sammy knows. He's close with the demon upstairs. He might have told him. You'd have to ask them yourself."
"Maybe I will." Azazel said ponderingly.
"Can you bring Dean back? Yes or no?" John asked impatiently.
"No. But I know someone who can. It's not a problem."
"Good. And before I give you the gun, I'm gonna wanna make sure that Dean's okay. With my own eyes." John demanded, getting a raised eyebrow from Azazel.
"Oh, John, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?" John stayed silent and Azazel sighed. "Fine."
"So we have a deal?"
"No, John, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot."
"With what?"
"There's something else I want. As much as that gun – maybe more."
"I refuse to kill the demon. You do that yourself. I may want him dead, but I won't be the one to kill him." John stated, getting a chuckle from Azazel.
"Oh no, I want his death myself. Much more satisfying. I want to feel his blood run though my fingers." Azazel said to him with a wide grin, which made John shudder.
"What do you want then?"
--
Dean sat down on the bed in Tessa's room and Tessa sat next to him, rubbing him on the back as she comforted him.
"It's time to put the pain behind you."
"And go where?" Dean asked softly, finally accepting his fate.
"Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline. Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?"
--
"Dean." Asmodeus sobbed, tears falling down his face as he gasped and looked at Dean's body beside him. Sanguini and Sam looked at him then at each other.
"He's still alive." Sanguini said, looking at Dean to make sure.
"Then what's wrong with As?"
"Dunno. I did say he had a strange relationship with the reapers. Maybe he knows something we don't."
"I've always thought that about As." Sam admitted dryly, getting a snort from Sanguini.
"Me too."
--
Dean turned to face Tessa after a moments thought about his choice. Just as he was about to speak, the lights in the room began to flicker and they both got up off the bed.
"What are you doin' that for?"
"I'm not doing it." Tessa told him nervously as she looked around the room. Suddenly a cloud of black smoke billowed into the room through an air vent.
"What the hell?"
"You can't do this! Get away!" Tessa screamed at the cloud.
"What's happening?" Dean asked, as Tessa began to scream as the smoke entered her mouth. When all of it was inside her, she turned to Dean and her eyes were now orange.
"Today's your lucky day, kid." She moved over to him and put her hand on his head. He screamed out and then blacked out. When he woke up, he was choking on a tube down his throat and Sam and Sanguini were staring at him in shock.
"Dean?" Sam asked, as Sanguini ran over to the door.
"Can we get some help in here please?!" Sanguini yelled, and moved out of the way as a nurse and doctor ran into the room.
"When did he wake up?" The doctor asked, as he gently pulled the tube out of Dean's throat and the nurse handed him a glass of water to drink.
"Just this second. We were standing here talking over Asmodeus and Dean woke up choking." Sam said, as the Doctor began his checks on him.
"Follow the light Dean. Thank you. Now, we're going to take you for some tests and we'll bring you back straight away. Perhaps, if you're feeling better, you can convince your friend to go into surgery. He was too worried about you to agree to leave." The doctor said with a small smile, glancing over at Asmodeus, who was unconscious in the next bed. The doctor frowned and looked at the nurse, who nodded and pressed the call button.
"Will he be okay?" Sam asked anxiously, watching as Dean tried to look over at who the doctor was talking about. When he saw Asmodeus, he gasped and struggled to get up, stopping when the doctor and Sanguini stopped him.
"You can see him later. He'll still be there." Sanguini reassured him and Dean looked at him shrewdly before nodding and lying back down on the bed.
Another doctor chose that moment to walk into the room and the current doctor checking on Dean walked over to him and whispered something to him, glancing behind him at Asmodeus. The doctor nodded and Deans doctor came back to the bed.
"Right, I'm going to take you down for some tests. They won't take long and then you'll be back here and I'll talk you through the results." The doctor said, knocking the break off of the bed and, with the help of the nurse, wheeling Dean out of the room.
"Right, I'm just going to check this gentleman here. Is he still in pain do you know? Has the bleeding stopped?" The doctor asked, reading through the notes on Asmodeus. Sam and Sanguini looked at each other and then back at the doctor.
"He seems to have stopped bleeding. He hasn't complained of any pain in the last hour, he fell asleep about ten minutes ago." Sanguini told him smoothly.
"Ah, well his vitals look to be alright at the moment, though his breathing seems a little laboured, which could be cause for worry. It doesn't sound like he's got any fluid in his lungs, so that is good. Tell us if anything changes." The doctor told them, getting a nod from Sam and Sanguini. The doctor smiled at them and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Dean's alive. Will Asmodeus be alright now?"
"I honestly don't know." Sanguini admitted with a sigh.
"Are you really going to leave us once he wakes?"
"We haven't killed Azazel yet. He will stay with you until that happens. After that? I don't know. It depends on how you treat him and me."
"I'm sorry about how I reacted. I shouldn't have done that. I know Asmodeus and I'm beginning to think I know you. I should've trusted you both."
"Don't worry about it. I can understand why you reacted how you did. You had just found out about rogues after all and then to find out about me, well I'd imagine it came as something of a shock."
"Yeah, you could say that." Sam said with a wry grin. They both spun around quickly when Asmodeus moaned and then his eyes shot open and he gasped in horror and tried to push something off of him.
"No!" He cried out, shaking his head and then glancing at Sanguini in horror.
"Kitten? What's wrong? What's happening?" Sanguini asked, walking over to Asmodeus and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No! Please! No! Dean!" Asmodeus cried out, pushing at something he saw on his chest.
"As? What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. Do you know how to disconnect that machine without alerting anyone?" Sanguini asked, nodding to the heart machine connected to Asmodeus.
"No. I only know of As that would be able to do that." Sam told him sadly, watching as Asmodeus struggled against an invisible enemy.
"Please stop. Please. Please. Please. Don't. No. I don't want it. No. No. No. Let me go!" Asmodeus howled out, tears running down his cheeks as he shook his head.
"Can't we stop it?"
"No. I think he might be getting his gift."
"Doesn't sound like he wants it." Sam pointed out.
"No. It doesn't. I don't know if this is normal or not. The demons were shockingly tight lipped about what happened in a majority. We're very lucky to be accepted into his room at this time."
"He needs us to survive."
"I know. Which is unusual. But there are no other demons alive, so he had no choice but to accept us as his family. It's a shame Dean isn't here. He would make things a little bit easier I think."
"I don't know. Asmodeus was pretty sure he needed to have you with him, not me and not Dean. Just you."
"Huh. Why's he calling out for Dean then?"
"You got me. You're guess is as good as mine. Maybe it has something to do with when Dean was unconscious."
"Hmm. Possibly. Did he want me after the crash?"
"Yeah, though he seemed to accept me to be with him. I can't believe I left him alone. I could have killed him."
"You didn't know."
"I did though! Azazel even told us!"
"You thought he was lying, Asmodeus told us as such. Seriously, you had no way of knowing. You're not a demon expert, or a neko expert. No one is. They're too secretive to allow anyone to know too much about them. He hasn't even allowed me to read all the books written about them."
"He's let Dean read one."
"Bet it didn't have much information." Sanguini said dryly, looking down at Asmodeus, who had stopped struggling and was now just crying softly, arms limp by his side. His eyes were glowing a bright green until they suddenly turned white, with no colour or pupil visible.
"What's happening to him?"
"I have no idea." Sanguini admitted, looking at his brother in concern.
"And there's nothing we can do?"
"Nope. Just stay here with him and stop the doctors from doing something stupid like cut him open. It does look like the pain side of it is over however." Sanguini pointed out, much to the relief of Sam.
"That's a bright side I suppose."
--
"I can't explain it. The oedemas vanished. The internal bruising has healed. Your vitals are good. You've got some kind of angel watchin' over you." The doctor said, reading from Dean's chart to Sam and Dean whilst Sanguini sat next to Asmodeus and held his hand.
Dean had been brought back to the room almost thirty minutes before and Asmodeus' eyes had turned back to normal only twenty minutes ago, which took the use of a glamour to stop the doctor from noticing. Sam had explained everything to Dean whilst the doctor was away getting the results from Dean's tests.
"Thanks, Doc." The doctor nodded and left after giving a quick glance over at Asmodeus. "Is he okay?" Dean asked, looking over at Sanguini and Asmodeus.
"He will be. It's just a case of him waking up now. Hopefully he will be discharged at the same time as you."
"I hope so." Dean said softly, before turning back to face Sam, who was sitting in the chair next to his bed. "So you said a reaper was after me?"
"Yeah, at least that's what As said."
"How'd I ditch it?"
"You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?" Sam asked, looking at Dean.
"No. Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, something's wrong." Dean said, looking at Sam, worried. John took that moment to walk into the room, knocking on the door as he looked at his sons, ignoring the other two in the room.
"How you feelin'?" John asked, stepping up next to Sam and looking down at Dean.
"Fine, I guess. I'm alive."
"That's what matters." John said with a small smile.
"Where were you last night?" Sam asked suspiciously and Sanguini glanced over at him with a frown.
"I had some things to take care of." John told him firmly.
"Well, that's specific." Sam grumbled, glaring at John unimpressed.
"Come on, Sam."
"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asked, ignoring Dean's pleading.
"No."
"You know, why don't I believe you right now?" Sam asked, Dean sighed in disapproval behind him
"Can we not fight? You know, half the time we're fightin', I don't know what we're fightin' about. We're just buttin' heads. Sammy, I... I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't wanna fight anymore, okay?" John said with a smile.
"Dad, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just tired." Sam nodded but frowned in concern. "Hey, Sam, would you mind, uh... would you mind getting' me a cup of caffeine?" John asked, looking at Sam.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sam said and he walked out of the room, John watched him go tearfully, which made Dean frown in concern.
"You want me to go see if he needs help?' Sanguini asked, standing up from his seat next to Asmodeus. "As is still out of it, he won't hear whatever you need to say."
"Oh. Er... yeah, thanks." John said, looking at Sanguini in amazement and confusion.
"Both of you need to stay in this room with him. You cannot leave him alone. I mean it." Sanguini said, looking at the two. They nodded in agreement and Sanguini walked out of the room.
"What is it?" Dean asked once Sanguini was out of earshot.
"You know, when you were a kid... I'd come home from a hunt. And after what I'd seen, I'd be.... I'd be wrecked. And you'd... come up to me, and you'd put your hand on my shoulder, and you'd look me in the eye, and you'd..." John's voice broke as tears formed in his eyes, "you'd say, 'it's okay, Dad.' Dean... I'm sorry."
"For what?" Dean asked, and neither of them noticed Asmodeus' eyes open and he made sure not to move to alert them to his waking.
"You shouldn't have had to say that to me. I should've been sayin' that to you. You know, I put... I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, and you took care of me. You did that. And you didn't complain, not once." A tear ran down John's cheek and Dean looked at him in stunned silence. "I just want you to know... that I'm so proud of you."
"Is this really you talkin'?" Dean asked, stunned and Asmodeus had to bite his lip to stop the laugh he wanted to let out.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me."
"Why are you sayin' this stuff?" Dean asked, confused and a little concerned. John moved closer to Dean and laid a hand on Dean's shoulder.
"I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"
"Yeah, Dad, you know I will. You're scarin' me." Dean admitted in a whisper, tears building up in his eyes.
"Don't be scared, Dean." John then leant down to whisper something in Dean's ear, which Asmodeus couldn't hear, but he did turn his head to look at them to see if he could read John's lips, but to no avail. Dean looked at John with a frown. John then smiled at him and then he left the room.
Asmodeus watched John leave and then sat up in his bed and swung his legs over to stand up. He then shakily walked over to Dean, who was just watching the door in horror and hadn't noticed Asmodeus walking over to him and Asmodeus ignored the pain in his limbs as he made his way over to Dean.
Dean jumped when Asmodeus sat down on his bed and placed a hand on his back and rubbed it, looking at him in concern.
"You okay Dean?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Is your majority over now?" Dean asked, looking over at him, eyes sad.
"Yeah, it's over. You helped me. Do you remember any of what happened whilst you were unconscious?"
"No."
"Didn't think you would. There was a reaper after you. You attacked it when it tried to take your life and then you went after it. I couldn't stop you, it was your time to go. I'm sorry." Asmodeus said, looking down at the bed.
"Hey, it's okay. No one can stop death, right?" Dean asked with a small smile when Asmodeus looked up at him.
"Right. You okay Dean?"
"Yeah."
"What did your dad say to you?"
"He told me about Sammy. But you have already told us what he knows. In fact, we knew more because of that demon, Ardad. He wants me to watch over Sammy and... and to..." Dean shook his head and looked away, jaw clenching. Asmodeus looked at him in concern and shuffled closer to him and placed his arm around his waist and leant his head on his shoulder.
"What's wrong Dean?"
"He asked me to kill Sammy if it came to it." Dean whispered, still not looking at Asmodeus. Asmodeus looked up from Dean's shoulder in shock and looked at Dean.
"Dean. It won't come to that. I won't let it come to that. You won't be alone in watching over Sammy. Me and Sanguini will be there and we won't have to kill him because he's never gonna do anything stupid that will make us want to kill him. This is Sammy, Dean. You really think he's gonna do something stupid? Sammy?" Asmodeus asked incredulously, getting a grin from Dean. Asmodeus smiled at him and leant up to press a kiss to his mouth, getting a kiss in return from Dean.
They pulled apart when Sam rushed into the room and paused at the sight of Asmodeus awake, then shook his head and looked at Dean.
"Sam?"
"Dean, it's Dad." Sam said urgently, Dean looked at Asmodeus in fear and got out of the bed, Asmodeus following close behind the two as they ran from the room and down the corridor to the room John had been in before.
Sanguini was standing in the doorway and turned to look at them with a sad expression on his face, looking at Asmodeus in confusion before looking back into the room, where John had been hooked up to various machines.
A nurse walked over to them and Dean shook his head in despair. Asmodeus placed a hand on his arm as he watched the doctors' work on John.
"No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad!" Dean cried out and the nurse left them alone.
"Okay, let's try again – an amp of atropine." The doctor said and Dean and Sam turned to Asmodeus.
"What are they doing? Will he be alright." Sam asked him, glancing back at their father as the doctors tried to keep him alive.
"No. No, he's not going to be alright."
"How do you know? How can you possibly know that?" Sam asked him and Dean looked at Asmodeus with a frown.
"Your gift." Dean muttered, looking at Asmodeus.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. There's nothing that can be done. He's got to die."
"What?"
"He exchanged his life for another. It was his choice. He made the deal, he had to face the consequences. These are the consequences." Asmodeus said softly, waving a hand at where John was being worked on by the doctors.
"Asmodeus, how do you know all this?" Sanguini asked in concern, walking to stand next to Asmodeus, who glanced to his side and then back to the room where the doctors shook their heads.
"Okay, that's it everybody. I'll call it. Time of death – 10.41 AM." The doctor called out and Sam's legs gave way, making Sanguini move to catch him quickly and then help him to stand up with the help of Dean, who was leaning on Sam heavily. No one noticed Asmodeus walk away from then and down the corridor.
"John. I'll watch over them. I know you don't like me, but I will watch over them. I'm sorry you had to do this to save Dean, but you'll never understand how thankful to you I am. Sammy is gonna be okay. Azazel will never get to him if I have anything to say about it." Asmodeus said and John stepped out of a room and looked at him.
"Watch over them 'cause I can't do it anymore."
"Not that you did a bang up job of it anyway. Sorry, I didn't mean that. Well I did, but I didn't mean to say it to you. I am thankful for what you've done."
"Don't mess with Dean."
"I won't John. I can't, more to the point. Look, it's really not important. Just, know that I can't hurt him."
"Watch over them."
"You do know what is going to happen to you right now, don't you?" Asmodeus asked in concern, looking behind him to see if anyone had noticed him missing.
"Yeah, I know what's gonna happen."
"You're braver than I thought you to be John. They'll let you out eventually, you know."
"I know."
"When it happens, then you will finally die and rest in peace so to speak."
"What do you mean, 'finally die'?"
"You're not truly dead right now. Your body is sure, but your soul isn't. There really isn't such a divine place as Heaven and Hell, they're just alternate dimensions to this one. When they let you go, you'll finally die." Asmodeus told him with a shrug.
"How can you see me?"
"It's a gift." Asmodeus said with a shrug and a grin.
"Right. Watch out for them. Even if it means your life. Make sure they stay alive at all costs."
"Will do, John. You'd better get back before they come for you." Asmodeus told him and John nodded before disappearing from sight. Asmodeus sighed and then shook his head groaning.
"Miranda, Athena, you had better have a good explanation for this damned gift. I thought I would be getting something from you two. Not a damned reaper."
A/N – Aaaand another chapter! Yay! But Johnny-boy is dead. I'll be honest and admit that I wrote three different ways this would end. In one of them, Dean died and Asmodeus watched. Another was this one, where John died, and the final one had no one dying but was crappy and not at all good, I'd say not believable, but well, we're talking about a story in which one of the main characters has cats ears and a tail. I think we left the believable a long time ago. Lol!
So tell me what you think! We've officially entered into Season two and we've finally reached the point where I have no fecking clue as to what is going on! Lol! The gift Asmodeus got, well Asmodeus probably won't be telling anyone about it anytime soon. He doesn't exactly want it. He will tell someone in the next chapter, but you'll have to wait and see who it is.
Like I said before though, he really doesn't want it, so he may not be admitting it at all. He may even lie about it. You'll just have to wait and see. It will get explained in more detail in the next chapter. I can tell you though, that he is not a reaper. That's a completely different story! Lol! I'm going to stop here before I end up telling you everything! Heh. I crap with suspense and secrets!
So anyways, please review! I do so love hearing from you! Thanking you!!