Things are going to move a bit faster in this chapter. I tried so many ideas, but figure it needed a bit of a pick-up here, so it's a little fast paced. Hopefully it works, and that you like where it went.
antariangirl93 & Wilderness_Rose - I can't thank you two enough for all your kind words each time a new chapter rolls out. Hope you both enjoy this one! Thanks you two!
Discussing things over breakfast, hadn't panned out much. Sam hadn't come across anything in Manda's mother's journal, but there was a large section where pages had been ripped out, and he hadn't gotten through the rest of it after falling asleep while reading.
Manda had shared the details of the dream with Chuch and Sam, but had left out the part about having seen Dean in hell. It wasn't something they needed to know, and it wouldn't be something he wanted them to know either, so she kept it to herself.
The plan for the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon was made then.
Chuch would head off to talk to some of the man's family and friends to help them cover more ground. Sam and Dean were going to hit the morgue, and then head over to his house to do a little investigating.
All three of them decided it was best if Manda just stayed at the hotel for now. There was a little argument from her about wanting to go along, but in the end it was settled. It wasn't good if anyone happened to recognize her, and it wouldn't be any better should she pass out or if something else weird happened to her that might raise too many questions.
She would stick to the hotel, read her father's journal this time and go through the rest of her mother's trying to work that angle in case there was something in either one.
Everyone headed back to the hotel to get changed into their FBI get-ups, but Manda who was getting left behind after a good double check of her room by Dean to make sure it was still protected.
When he was done, Dean sat beside her on the bed. "Stay in the room Manda, and call the moment anything happens or after, if you pass out again." His tone said he meant it and so did his look.
"I'd rather tag along, but okay. And yeah, I'll call if the demon invades my mind again," Manda agreed without resistance.
"With how this hits, you know it's better if you hang tight in here for awhile." He wanted to take her along since he'd feel better being able to keep an eye on her, but this really was the safest place for her right now.
"I get it," she replied. Then she leaned in and kissed him briefly. "You're free to go now."
"Stick to the room, watch some porn, I'll be back soon." He smirked as he gave her a shorter speech than he usually gave Sam.
"Porn? Trying to tell me I need some tips Winchester, because I haven't exactly heard you complain." She raised a brow and smirked back.
Dean chuckled. "That's just the confined to the room rules for Sammy, figured I'd try them on you. But as for complaints…" he paused, and puckered his lips in thought just to tease her. "Well… I've got none sex-wise for you, Chambers." His smile was naughty, and then gave her a soft open kiss.
"Mm-hmm, that's what I thought. And nice try, but I'm not Sam," Manda laughed lightly.
There was a knock at the door then.
"And that'll be him, but remember…" Dean started.
"Don't leave the room, watch some porn if I'm bored, and you'll be back when you're back. Oh, and call if something weird happens," Manda repeated his orders by cutting him off.
"Already taking it better than Sammy does." He grinned, got up and headed for the door.
She got up and followed him. Sam was supposed to bring back her mom's journal so she could have a better look through it.
"You ready?" Sam muttered a little annoyed when the door opened and his brother stepped out.
Dean nodded, and ignored the annoyed tone Sam greeted him with.
Then Sam handed the journal to Manda. "I marked off where I got to, in case you wanted to start from there."
"Thanks Sam," Manda smiled softly at the younger Winchester. She clutched the journal in her hand, and the uneasy feeling began to take over about going through it and her father's while she was alone now.
Dean saw her shoulders tense a little, and knew it was because she was going to start reading the journals whether she wanted to or not. "Stay in the room, and call if there's anything," he said firmly as he looked at her seriously.
"I already said I would. So, I'll be here when you get back, but I'm still not watching any porn." She loved that he was just looking out for her like he would with Sam. It was just showed her again how he felt even if he wouldn't flat out say it.
"Dude… you did tell her," Sam scoffed. He knew better than to put it past Dean with her, but he just didn't believe it still. If Dean was treating her like he would him, Sam knew what it meant.
Dean smirked, and turned to walk to the car. "See Sammy, same orders you get, and I told you she listens."
Sam chuckled as he followed. He'd noticed a slight difference in both of them since breakfast and now he was sure he knew what it was about.
"Looking good boys," Manda called out as they walked away. "See your fine Winchester asses later." Then she closed the door.
Sam laughed and shook his head, and Dean's grin got cocky when they heard her as they got into the Impala.
"You and her… you're not… are you?" Sam couldn't finish the thought out loud. He figured that Dean and Manda together would probably be a good thing once she was out of this mess she was in.
Dean shifted uncomfortably in the seat as he started up the car, and then flashed his brother the 'shut up' look.
"You are… you're dating her." Sam looked at him with a funny grin. He'd been waiting for it for awhile.
Dean knew his brother had figured it out. Sam knew him well enough to pick up on things, and Dean knew that while he and Manda had tried to play it normally, the change was there in their behaviour at times. "We're not talking about it Sammy," he grunted.
"Wow…" Sam scoffed. "It's about time Dean. I like her… even if she's disturbingly like you at times. But at least she knows how to handle you."
The grin was too hard to hold back. "She definitely does," Dean said with a satisfied tone and a matching smirk.
"Dude… we're not talking about that," Sam groaned, and rolled his eyes as they headed for the morgue.
-
Manda had opened her father's journal after Sam and Dean had left. She was apprehensive at first, but had to find out if the answers existed within the pages of it or if she would still be out of luck when she was through.
She scanned through the pages for details. She had gotten familiarized with her father's system over the years, along with his scratchy scrawl.
Sometime later she came across what she had feared she would. She sat there staring at the words and reading the few pages over and over. The tears ran down her face and then she got up to pace the room anxiously.
The words were clear, and Manda didn't know what to do or what to think for awhile. And then the only thing she could do was reach for the phone and call Dean. A part of her wanted to keep him away from this, but she just couldn't do it, she needed him. He would help her somehow, that was a belief she had to cling right now.
Manda only managed to hit call on her phone when the heat starting coursing through her.
Oh god, not now. The thought ran through her head as she barely heard the phone ringing on the other end before nothing else registered in her head but a voice that definitely didn't belong to who she'd been calling.
-
Once at the morgue, Sam and Dean had discovered the remains they were there to see had already been transferred to a funeral home, but they did get to go over the autopsy report instead.
The kill had been quick and clean, there had been no struggle on the deceased's behalf, but in the end there was nothing else unusual to be found. It wasn't making sense, why the demon had chosen him. But then sometimes it never made sense, and they knew that.
Dean was irritated with what little was turning up, and Sam was just trying to put the pieces they did know together as they headed for the man's house to see if that would turn up anything useful.
When they arrived, both brothers were thankful the man had lived alone. Crime scene tape had never kept them out before, so they broke in quietly making sure no one noticed.
They headed for where he'd been found, and looked around. Besides what was the mess of normal cop tampering, and the blood stains, there was nothing else to indicate a crime had gone on here.
They split up to look through things and to see what they could find.
A little while later, Dean's phone went off with Manda's ringtone as he poked around a room. "Manda, you okay?" he answered without saying hello.
The only thing that greeted him in return was light breathing, and then he heard a faint voice a few seconds later.
"De-Dean…" Manda barely managed to get out his name and that was all.
"Manda?" Dean called her as he heard the silence from her end.
Sam came back and looked at him. "What's going on?"
Dean shook his head at Sam and then called Manda's name into the phone a little louder this time. He heard the faint whimper, then a soft thud and knew she'd passed out. "Goddamn it," he grunted as he started heading for the door. "I'm on my way Manda," he basically shouted into the phone.
"Dean?" Sam called him as he followed. "What's happening?"
"Frigging thing is in her head again." He looked grim as they got into the Impala. Dean called her again as they drove away. "Son of a bitch," he muttered through gritted teeth. He was worried about what it was doing to her now, but was glad she had called him.
"Just drive Dean, give me the phone." Sam could see the worry and tension taking over in his brother at that moment.
"Keep listening and calling out to her," Dean commanded roughly as he handed his phone to Sam. He stepped hard on the gas since they were on the other side of the town.
Sam took the phone, called her a few times and listened. He looked over at Dean a few minutes later when he heard a sound. "Manda, it's Sam, we're almost there." He spoke loudly into the phone even if he was sure she couldn't hear him.
"Did she come to?" Dean asked quickly.
"I don't think so, but she cried out in pain and it didn't sound good." Sam could tell something was different this time just by the injured cry.
Dean's jaw clenched and his foot pushed harder on the gas to complete the ride to the hotel in no time.
-
The heat sensation was worse this time, and Manda had only managed to get out Dean's name as the voice took over in her head.
Looks like one of your worst fears just hit Manda. Your daddy would be so pleased at knowing I eventually came back for his little girl after he sent me back to hell for awhile. What a fighter he was too… trying to keep you alive, screaming out the Latin while he was choking on his own blood. You never were as tough as the old man though, lying there like a rag doll after I had barely started on you. If it's any consolation, you weren't as weak as your mother was though. You still had a pulse at least when you hit the ground that day.
She could only listen to the voice in her head. The pain in her head was starting to settle in, and the words were opening up old wounds. Manda's legs gave out from under her and a small cry escaped her as the heat increased a little more through her body.
What a disappointment to the family. Daddy would be rolling over in his grave if he wasn't a pile of ashes to see you end up this way. But you always were a failure to him, weren't you? Think your parents still would have sacrificed themselves for you knowing this is how it would turn out? Running after me again without knowing what you were getting into. Charging into the job without thinking, trying to destroy yourself over the heartache you caused yourself again. Always been an emotional mess there, haven't you?
Manda loathed the taunting, and that she couldn't answer it back. This conversation was a one-way one, and she was only still holding on because the demon wouldn't get out of her mind yet. She lay there wishing it would end. The words were cutting deep, the heat was scorching, and the pain was getting unbearable.
Well, this little chat's been fun… get ready for your upcoming family reunion. Your parents were a two for one deal, but you'll be the icing on the cake. The last of the Chambers family… quite a prize for how hated your family is. Getting rid of you is almost as sweet as taking out those Winchesters you're fond of. By the way, you were hard to find for awhile, but give Dean my gratitude for sending you straight to me when he hurt you months ago. Oh, and for letting me out of hell when he and Sam had their part in opening that gate. That's right Manda, you have that man of yours to thank for my return. It's a shame I didn't stick around though, or I would have gotten to see this for myself instead of with a friend's help.
Manda felt a hard slash down her back, but she had no strength left to scream and only whimpered at the added pain. Then the laughter roared in her head, and a different scene of Dean in hell played out as a vision before everything went black and silent for her.
-
The Impala screeched to a stop in front of her room. Dean threw the car into park, grabbed the keys and was getting out of the car as Sam hung up the phone and followed.
Dean shoved the key in the lock fast, and was glad she had only locked the one as he stormed in with Sam right behind him.
Both of them saw her right away.
Manda lay there on the floor on her side a few feet from the end of the bed. The back of her shirt was soaked with blood, and the phone lay near her outstretched hand.
Dean didn't even want to think about what had happened to her this time. He just wanted to get her up first, make sure she was okay or as okay as she could be, then worry about it and what he was going to do to this demon after.
He was in front of her on his knees quickly. When he touched her, he found she was about as hot as her scars had been that morning. "Get up Manda, come on… get up," Dean was smacking her face and then checking her eyes. He wasn't even sure how long she'd been out at this point, whether it was ten minutes or twenty or more, but it wasn't good however long it was.
"Dean…" Sam called his brother loudly. "Her back... check if she's still bleeding."
Dean sat her up, pulled off her shirt, and leaned her against him. Her scars were open, and they were bleeding still. He pressed the shirt against as much of them as he could. "Towels, now," he shouted at Sam.
Sam was already making his way there. He got towels, and found that in the two seconds it had taken him, Dean had put her on her left side on top of the bed where it would be easier for both of them to attend to her. He took over pressing the towels down the right side of her back as Dean let him, and felt how unnaturally warm she was right then.
"Manda, get your ass back here now," Dean demanded harshly. He smacked her a few more times. Then he pushed Sam's hands off her and pressed the towels himself. "Her bags Sam… one of them is med supplies, get it," Dean tossed out the command loud and rough.
"Okay," Sam nodded. His brother was in that mode, and worried to top it off. He got up and went searching through Manda's stuff. He felt his own worry kicking in then, because it was taking too long to get her up, and he knew that wasn't good.
Dean smacked her harder this time. He didn't want to smack her too hard, but he just wanted her to snap out of this. He knew the longer it took, the worse it could be. "Come on, stop being stubborn and get up."
Sam found the bag and saw it was full of stuff. "What am I looking for?"
"Smelling salts, find them." Dean didn't want to have to cart her off to the hospital and make up some story that would be an obvious lie. He checked her pulse and found it was fairly strong, which was a good sign at least.
Sam found the salts quickly. He gave them to Dean, and took over at applying the pressure against her back again. She was cooling off finally, and Sam knew that was good.
Dean waved the smelling salts back and forth under Manda's nose. It took a few times before he finally saw her eyes moving under the lids and her hand shot up to push the smell away. "There's my girl," he chuckled as she managed to smack his hand.
Sam looked at Dean in disbelief for a moment. Even though he knew they were dating now, it was weird to see and hear how his brother had just openly called her his girl.
Manda's eyes were so heavy, her head hurt too much and so did her back. All the pain was registering before she was even able to open her eyes.
Her eyes were open, and Dean looked down into them. "Manda?" he called her as he saw the blank expression in them. She was back, but she wasn't quite back yet.
Sam leaned over and looked at her. "Give her a few minutes, but if she doesn't snap out of it, we'll have to get her looked at."
She could hear voices, but nothing was in focus just yet. All Manda could concentrate on was what the demon had said and all the pain it had left behind.
Dean continued to watch her. He even got soft with her for a second in front of Sam as he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek a few times to offer her a little comfort. "How's her back doing?"
Sam pulled back the towels and got a better look at her scars. He hadn't known they were so long or that two shorter ones existed next to the two he had only seen the a little of the other day. They looked like claw marks to him, and he knew they had probably hurt like hell when she'd gotten them. "Slowing down, but still bleeding." He pressed the towels against her back again and applied a little more pressure this time.
Dean nodded. "Good. I'll stitch her up when she's ready for it."
"It might be better to take her in for it, that's going to take awhile," Sam said as he looked at him.
"If she wants to go, then I'll take her, if not, I'll do it," Dean gave Sam a stern look. It would be her choice, and he wasn't going to force her to go if she didn't want to.
Manda blinked a few times as everything start to come into focus finally.
"She's back…" Dean smirked, glad that she was becoming alert now.
"Dean," she said weakly. Manda looked up at him strangely, and then she tried to get up.
Sam saw Dean instantly hold her down before he could react himself. "Just stay there for a minute or two Manda," Sam said softly.
"Okay" Manda murmured. She wouldn't fight to get up, she had barely been able to before Dean had stuck a hand on her arm and another on her leg to keep her down. She felt completely drained as it was anyway.
"You okay?" Dean asked. His hand left her leg, but he kept the other hand on her arm and loosened the grip he had on it.
"No," she answered. She wasn't okay, her head was killing her, and her back was sore. Then there was what she knew from the journal and what the demon had said that had her even further from being okay. "Why's my back wet?"
Sam glanced at Dean. Telling her the scars had turned into open wounds had to come from him.
Dean eye's widened at Sam, and then looked back down at her. "Uh… don't freak out, okay… but your scars opened up. Got any idea how that happened?"
"It felt like they were slashed, like when I got them," Manda answered him quietly as she remembered feeling that pain. She wanted to freak out now, but just couldn't do it.
Sam and Dean looked at each other. No demon could get in the room, so this had been done through the link it had with her. Things were escalating and they both knew it.
Sam looked at her back again and saw the bleeding had stopped. "They've stopped bleeding Manda, but just stay still for awhile so they don't start up again. Do you want to keep the towel over them for now?"
"No, but thanks Sam," she responded and closed her eyes. Manda didn't even want to think about how defenseless she appeared right now to either brother as she lay there while they looked after her. She felt the wet fabric leave her back and the air hit the open wounds.
Dean saw how hard she trying to keep it together right then. Being this fragile in front of him was hard enough for her, but he knew how bothered she would be by letting Sam see her this way too. But she was hanging in there for now.
"Manda, do you want to go to the hospital, get checked out? You were out for awhile and we had trouble getting you up this time." Sam asked. He wanted to make sure she was okay first before they got her to explain the rest of what had happened. "And you're going to need stitches."
"No hospital," Manda said quickly, and opened her eyes again. This town's hospital was a bad reminder for her, and she didn't want to go there at all. She couldn't handle that on top of everything else right now. "I'll manage, and one of you can do the stitches. It's not exactly like whatever story any of us comes up with will be believable anyway. And my scars weren't pretty to begin with, so whoever wants those honours can have them."
"You're sure?" Dean asked. He had figured that's how she wanted it, but he was beginning to wonder if Sam was right about getting her looked at. He'd let her be the judge of how she felt though, because she knew when she could or couldn't handle something like this since she had probably patched herself up when she could instead of going to the hospital about as many times as he had himself over the years.
She nodded. "I'm sure," she tried to sound confident and hoped it was believable.
"I'll do it. But I'll give you a while to sit here, let you get cleaned up, and then start on your back. That okay?" Dean gave her a gentle grin. He knew she needed a little time before the stitches, and that she probably would want a hot bath or a long shower first.
"Yeah," she half-smiled weakly in return, thankful he wouldn't force her to go. It crushed her to see how different he was now from the newest vision the demon had made her see of him though.
Sam watched the softness between the two of them in this moment. "I think you'll be okay to sit up now."
Manda went to sit up and had a little trouble as the dizziness kicked in at the movement from the pain that was still in her head. "Okay, maybe I'll just stay here for awhile longer." She gave up trying to get up.
"Sure you're okay?" Dean was ready to help her up, but she had just lied back down quickly.
"Just dizzy from the pain in my head, this bastard really did a number on me this time." She closed her eyes again, not wanting him to see she was beginning to crumble from feeling so weak.
"I don't want to rush you, so take your time here, but are you okay to start telling us what happened this time? What it said or if there were more visions?" Sam's tone was soft and concerning, the last thing he wanted to do was be insensitive in this moment, but they needed to know what had happened.
Manda lay there wondering what to say or where to start. It took her a few minutes and then finally she spoke. "The journal first… read where it's opened at and a few more pages after." She kept her eyes closed tight to keep the tears from spilling out.
Dean looked at Sam, and then Sam went to the table where it lay open.
"It's the same one, isn't it?" Dean asked with a mixture of emotions that filled his voice. He knew what it meant if it was. Her need to destroy it would increase, and she'd end up destroying herself instead.
"I'm as good as dead Dean." Her voice broke, and she turned more to bury her face into the bed so he wasn't able to see what was getting harder to keep down. Then she felt his familiar hand on her arm and how his thumb kept stroking back and forth gently. The tears started to rise, her throat was getting tight, and she pressed herself further into the bed. She had no strength to be tough left and hated how helpless she was in this moment.
Dean didn't know what else to do for her. He wanted to hold her or something, but she obviously wasn't letting that happen right now. He couldn't press her for details either, but would wait to read what was in the journal, and then he'd have to get her to talk. "Not if I can help it. We're going to get you out of this." He leaned down and kissed the back of her head. "I'm going to kill this son of a bitch for you. Trust me Manda, it's not taking you," he whispered in her ear before he sat back up.
The silent tears began to flood from Manda then, and she kept the sobbing she wanted to do inside. Dean just didn't know what she knew yet, and while she knew his heart was in the right place, it hurt to hear the words from him.
Sam had picked up the journal and read through the pages. Then he reread them again before he came back with a grim look on his face and the journal in his hands. He handed it to Dean, and was already thinking of how to try to get her out of this.
Dean read what her father had written. The muscles in his body and face tightened when he was done. "It's not happening." His voice was hard and clear. "That's not how it's going to go."
Manda rolled over and sat up. She didn't care that she was still crying at this point. "You want to kill it – fine, but as you just read, you're bound to kill me too, and that's only if that bastard doesn't beat you to it." She had spit out the words through her tears, stared at Dean for a moment, then got up and went to lock herself in the bathroom.
Neither brother made a move to stop her then, but both watched her rush away on weakened legs, stumbling along her determined way to get the space she needed.
The truth in her words still lingered in the air once the door closed behind her, and then Dean's eyes met Sam's for a moment before he stared at the door Manda was probably now falling apart behind.
He hated to think his girl really was as good as dead unless they could come up with some way to end this without killing her in the process or letting the demon kill her first. Either outcome just wasn't an option he wanted anymore than she did, and Dean knew he had to find a way to make sure neither one happened.
So that's where it went. What a demon...
Are you wanting to find out what the journal says? More about that link? How she's going to explain to Dean about what it said and showed her more of and how he'll handle that? Maybe I'm getting a little evil in throwing a bunch of crap at them so quickly, but nobody said it would be easy for them... and of course their timing to get together was just all wrong. hehehe :P
Hopefully this all worked out well, and that his softness towards her and rushing to get to her was just right. I always fear making Dean too soft and just ruining these beloved boys that aren't my characters with my spin on things.
Now I tried to keep it flowing for how it switched between what was happening on her end and his end there - hopefully it worked out right for how I wanted it to go.
The next chapter will be up when it's up - hopefully within a week or so! I've got lots of thinking to do about where it needs to go. Yes, this story might end up being ridiculously long...
Hope you've enjoyed reading - and thanks for doing so whether you have or haven't. :)
Comment if you wish to!