Choice of a Lifetime
Second last chapter!
Or third if I do an epilogue.
Anyways, here we go, everything coming to a head, so exciting! DRUM ROLL!
"She's lost a lot of blood!"
"Any of you know what type she is?"
"No." "No." "No."
"Run the test quick."
"When did she stop breathing?"
"Uh..." "Well..." "About three minutes ago." "Yeah, she was...hurt...about ten minutes...fifteen tops."
"Someone get her breathing again!"
The first man swung but the other blocked. Both were bleeding, covered in cuts and abrasions. The second delivered a harsh kick to the first's midsection, sending him flying backwards and narrowly avoiding the Impala.
"This was over before it even began!" The second snapped out. "You shouldn't have tried."
"Oh, I'll always try." The first remarked, getting to his feet. They ran at each other once more, swinging and kicking, blocking and ducking. They did all they could to inflict as much damage on the other while taking as little as possible onto themselves.
"The type is O negative."
"Hook me up, I have the same type."
"As long as you're sure, sir."
"I'm sure, do it."
The two men held knives, ready and waiting to lodge them in vital locations to end this fight once and for all. The battle had completely destroyed the road from the multiple times each of them had crashed into it. The Impala was damaged beyond mortal repair, something that would likely kill Dean if he ever found out.
"This ends here and now." The first man decided, swinging his knife around.
"Agreed." The second stated firmly. The ran at each other once more, crashing into one another. They both paused, hard and stunned expressions on their faces. For several long moments, neither of them moved, neither dared draw breath. Both sets of eyes finally drifted downward to see where the knives had encased themselves.
***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***
Bobby sat next to the hospital bed, arm propping his head up as he drifted in and out of consciousness. His sleeve was rolled up, having just given blood to help balance out the girl who lay on the bed. In a chair on the other side of the bed was Sam, sitting between two beds, the second of which held Dean who, while conscious, was forced to stay in the bed due to his injuries. None of them were sure if the hospital staff had bought their stories on what happened but they didn't care much at the moment. They were just waiting for one of two things to happen.
Mal waking up and being alright again.
And/or Cas showing up to say everything was taken care of.
So far, neither had happened.
"Hey Sammy...I think you and me need to talk." Dean decided suddenly, keeping his voice down as he looked over to see Bobby actually asleep and snoring softly.
"What's up?" Sam asked, taking his eyes from Mal to look at his brother.
"What are you feeling for Mal?" Dean asked. "I've got a lot of things from a lot of different sides and I just...I need to know where everyone's standing these days."
"I...I don't really know." Sam replied, scratching his head. "I mean...I care about her, a lot."
"Do you think you actually have feelings for her...or is this just one of those things where you like the feeling of being needed and taking care of someone?" Dean asked. Sam paused and looked at his brother, eyebrow raising and thoughts concerning the elder Winchester's mental state entered his head. "Shut up!"
"I didn't say anything." Sam remarked.
"No but I can tell by that look, what you're thinking." Dean countered. "Just answer the damn question."
"I don't know, alright?" Sam shot back. He sighed and shook his head. "I like her. I care about her. She's just...really damaged. I wish...I wish I could do...something. She needs something good, something real. How do you help someone like that?"
"Maybe...you don't." Dean mused, his eyes drifting over to the unconscious girl. "Someone else could."
"Who?" Sam asked.
"My guess...Cas." Dean replied. He didn't need to look at his brother to know the expression on the younger man's face. "I'm not kidding here Sammy, he's got it bad for that girl."
"Wow." Sam muttered, not sure what else to say. He looked at Mal to try and figure his own feelings out. She had to be hooked to a respirator due to how often she stopped breathing. The doctors weren't very confident in her lasting long and it worried the hunters that the girl was just simply willing to give up.
Of course, none of them blamed her for it, even knowing as little as they did, they all still knew enough to know that the sunshine and lollipops land didn't stretch into her world.
***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***SPN***
It felt surreal so it all sort of made sense. Standing in the middle of a room that was lit by nothing, a door at either end, just made her think of all the corny movies she had seen with her brothers.
"Hey pipsqueak." Mal jumped and spun around, finding Jeffery standing there with a smile on his face.
"Yep, definitely corny movie." She muttered.
"Nice way to greet me." Jeffery grumbled. Mal sighed then moved to him and hugged him.
"So what's going on?" She asked. "Am I getting the big ultimate choice?"
"Hey feel lucky, not a lot of people do." Jeffery argued. "Life or death here kid, it's all up to you. I can't make the choice for you, I'm just here to help."
"Making me want death a little more." Mal pointed out. Jeffery sighed and pulled her to sit on a bench that had appeared. The whole room shifted and changed and Mal recognized it almost at once as the place Castiel had brought her after the car accident, before they had gotten together.
"I'm not going to tell you that your life will be easy or hard if you choose to live." Jeffery remarked, holding his sister's hands. "It's all up to you, how you perceive it. You may get some bad moments but again, it's your choice on what you do with those. You can let them take over your life or you can brush past them."
"But if I choose death..." Mal suggested loosely, wanting to know all her options.
"Then you come back with me." Jeffery answered. "Hang out with me...and mom...and Aiden...and even Rufus if you wanted. But..."
"But?" Mal asked, frowning. She hated when he did that to her, there was always a catch.
"You don't ever get to see Bobby and Sam and Dean and Castiel again." Jeffery finished. Mal paused, her eyes drifting down over the green grass and up across the two doors still standing. "They all care so much about you, squirt. You got your friends...a second family. You just have to let them."
"Castiel's an Angel." Mal pointed out.
"Yeah but that doesn't mean you'll ever see him again if you choose death." Jeffery countered. "There are tricky little rules in place here."
"I don't want to lose you all again." Mal confessed. She sighed, looking to her brother for some sort of help. Here she was, getting the chance to be with her family once more, but in return she had to lose the people she was beginning to become fond of.
Sam, with all his smiles and encouraging words.
Dean, with his insane driving and surprisingly good advice.
Bobby, with his parental authority and simple caring.
Castiel...
How could she get this choice and be expecting to make it? How could someone be so cruel as to dangle her family in front of her and make her jump for them, leaving everything behind. It wasn't fair. Life or death...she hated it all.
Jeffery laughed and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. Mal sighed and returned the gesture.
"If it was me...I'd pick life." Jeffery whispered. "Death comes to everyone eventually, Mal. But life...I wish I could have done more in mine. Taught you better. Let you be a normal kid."
"You taught me just fine!" Mal shot back. "You shouldn't have regrets."
"Neither should you." Jeffery countered. He brushed Mal's hair from her face then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Listen kiddo...he loves you, wholly and truly. Don't be afraid to love him back." She stared at him, her sea green eyes letting loose several tears. "Time to make your choice, monkey. Just remember that we all love you."
Mal watched her brother disappear before she got to her feet and looked around. She contemplated everything she knew and everything she had learned. Her heart ached, yearning to be with her family once more. But could she do that to the boys? Could she just give up on them? They weren't giving up on her, Dean had taken so much for her.
But still...
Maybe it would be better.
Maybe things would work out.
Mal looked between the doors, running everything over and over in her mind until it bored her to have it all repeating. She took a deep breath, finally ready with her choice. She moved to one of the doors and reached for the handle. Pausing momentarily, she glanced back at the other door, wondering if perhaps this was the right choice. Her hand gripped the handle and turned it, opening the door and flooding the space with a bright white light.
So what did Mal pick? And who won the fight? Those will be revealed next chapter. Perhaps I may write both options lol. Maybe, maybe not, who knows at this moment.