I don't own Supernatural or any of it's characters. I only own Isabeau and my own original characters.
"What do you mean, you felt something?" John asks Sam.
"I mean it felt like…" Sam shakes his head, "...like Dean and Isabeau. Like they were there, just out of eyeshot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what, it... But do you think it's even possible? I mean, do you think their spirits could be around?"
John nods, "Anything's possible."
"Well, there's one way to find out." Sam turns to leave.
"Where are you going?" John asks.
"I gotta pick something up. I'll be back." Sam turns at the doorway.
John sighs, "Wait, Sam. I promise I won't hunt this demon. Not until we know Dean and Isabeau are okay.
Sam nods and leaves.
Dean and Tessa are walking down the hallway. "I gotta say, I'm impressed." Dean says.
Tessa glances at him, "With what?"
"With you. Most people in your spot would be jello right now, but uh, you're taking this pretty well. Maybe a little better than me." Dean says as they stop at the bottom of a staircase.
Tessa turns to him, "Don't get me wrong. I was pretty freaked at first. But now, I don't know. Maybe I'm dealing."
"So you're okay with dying?" Dean asks.
Tessa scoffs, "No, of course not. I just think, whatever's gonna happen's gonna happen. It's out of my control, it's fate."
Dean huffs, "Huh. Well, that's crap. You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die or you can keep fighting, no matter what-"
"Room 237, code blue. Dr. Kripke to room 237, code blue." A nurse says over the PA system. Dean starts following the nurses who are running.
"Dean, where are you going?" Tessa asks.
"Just wait here." He tells her. Dean runs down the hallway to another room in crisis. The same spirit is hovering over a little girl, who is being resuscitated. It reaches a hand into her face.
"Get away from her!" He lunges at the spirit, which vanishes and the nurses stop resuscitation.
"All right, let's call it." The male doctor says.
The other female doctor looks at her watch, "Time of death, 5:11 p.m."
One of the nurses shakes her head, "At least she's not suffering anymore."
Dean looks on, stunned.
Sam enters Isabeau's room quietly, clutching a brown paper bag in his arms.
Sam sighs, looking down at her, "Hey. I think maybe you two are around. And if you are, don't make fun of me for this, but um, well, there's one way we can talk."
He pulls out a box labeled 'Mystical Talking Board'.
Dean is behind him, arms folded, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me." He says in disbelief. Dean sighs, looking at Isabeau, "Isabeau's not here, man. It's just me."
Sam circles around the bed and sits cross legged on the floor. He opens the box and pulls out the board, "Dean? Isabeau? Are you here?"
Dean groans, "God, I feel like I'm at a slumber party." He sits opposite Sam in front of the board and sighs, "All right, Sam. This isn't going to work."
Sam has his hands poised on the pointer. Dean exhales sharply, places his fingers on it and slowly, concentrating, slides it to 'YES' on the board. Sam gasps as he watches it move.
Dean looks up at Sam, surprised, "I'll be damned."
Sam laughs out in relief, "It's good to hear from you, guys. It hasn't been the same without you."
Dean glances over at Isabeau's body sadly, "Damn straight."
"All right." Dean places his fingers on the pointer again and starts sliding it.
Sam watches it, "Guys, what? H? U? Hunt? Hunting? Are you hunting?"
The pointer slides back to 'YES'.
"Guys, it's in the hospital, what you're hunting? Do, do you know what it is?" Sam asks.
"One question at a time, dude." Dean says.
Sam shakes his head, "What is it?"
The pointer slides again during the following, to R, E, A, P. "I don't think it's killing people. I think it's taking them. You know, when their time's just up." Dean tells him.
"A reaper. Guys... is it after you?" The pointer slides to 'YES'. Sam sighs, "If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it."
"Yeah, you can't kill death." Dean agrees.
Sam shakes his head, glancing over at Isabeau, "What about Rebecca? Is she your reaper, Isabeau?"
Dean looks down not knowing how to answer since Isabeau wasn't with him.
Sam stares at the board and breathes out, "Is Isabeau there with you, Dean?"
Dean slides the pointer to 'NO'.
Sam sniffles, "Where… where is she?"
Dean shakes his head, moving the pointer around, "I don't know, Sam. Rebecca said she was fighting herself to stay alive. She's not spiritually here with any of us." Dean moves the pointer around to spell out, 'DONT KNOW'.
Sam rubs a hand over his face, "Is Rebecca here for her?"
Dean sighs, "She's around, waiting." He slides the pointer over to 'YES'.
"No. No, no, no, um, there's gotta be a way." Sam stands, pacing, "There's gotta be a way. Dad'll know what to do."
Sam enters John's room and sees that the bed is empty.
"Dad." Sam whispers.
John pushes the door to the boiler room open and enters, carrying the duffel bag.
He walks through a dark and dripping hallway to a clear space, places the bag down. He kneels down, pulls out a box of white chalk and starts drawing a large symbol on the floor.
Sam returns carrying John's journal and sits on the edge of Isabeau's bed, looking out at the empty space in the room. "Hey. So, Dad wasn't in his room." Sam tells Dean, hoping he's listening.
Dean is leaning on one of the window sills, "Where is he?"
"But I got Dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's something here." Sam flips open the journal and leafs through it, glancing up at Isabeau's unconscious form occasionally.
Dean comes to stand behind him, "Thanks for not giving up on us, Sammy." Dean glances over at Isabeau.
Sam turns to a page that says 'Reapers', Dean leans over and reads something. His eyes go wide, "Son of a bitch."
He leaves, stalking down the hallway until he sees Tessa is sitting on the edge of the bed and she's dressed differently.
"Hi, Dean." She greets him.
Dean walks forward, "You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception? I sure didn't. Basically they can make themselves appear however they want. Like, say, uh, a girl. Though the only reaper I like is Rebecca. She's honest."
"I was wondering when you would figure it out." Tessa says.
Dean shakes his head, "I should have known. That whole 'accepting fate' rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick. But the mother, and the body, I'm still trying to figure that one out."
"It's my sandbox, I can make you see whatever I want."
Dean scowls at her, "What, is this like a turn-on for you? What, toying with me?"
Tessa blinks, "You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and Isabeau and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me."
"Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?" Dean asks.
Tessa gets up from her spot, "How death is nothing to fear."
She reaches up to touch his cheek, but is stopped by another hand. Tessa and Dean look over, and see Rebecca glaring at Tessa. "Don't touch what is not yours."
Rebecca let's go of Tessa's hand go and Tessa lets it fall. "What? You taking my assignment, Hybrid?"
Tessa says 'hybrid' like it's dirt. Rebecca scoffs with a chuckle, "Oh he's yours, just keep your hands off of one of Isabeau's boyfriends."
"It's his time to go, hybrid." Tessa turns to Dean, "And you're living on borrowed time already."
Rebecca shakes her head, "Whatever. He's your assignment. Though I wish he wasn't."
Tessa chuckles, "A reaper that doesn't want people accepting death. You don't belong."
Rebecca shrugs, "Say what you will about me, Tessa, but I fight to keep the people that are important to me and the other girls, alive. It's called being human."
"But you aren't human."
"That might be true, but we 'hybrids' are more human than most." With that Rebecca turns and walks out of the room, disappearing in the hallway.
John has finished the chalk symbol in the boiler room, has placed several candles and a black bowl around it.
As he chants in latin, he slides a knife across his palm, drawing blood and dripping it on the bowl. He lights a match and drops it in. The sand in the bowl flares and goes out.
John stands, looking around and a hand grabs his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?" A man in a janitor's suit asks.
John turns around, "I can explain."
The man nods, "Yeah? You're going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me." The man starts walking away.
John pulls out the Colt, cocks it and points it at the man, "Hey." The man turns around and John smiles, "How stupid do you think I am?"
The man smiles, eyes turning yellow, "You really want an honest answer to that?" Two possessed men in lab coats stalk by and take positions behind John.
"You conjuring me, John. I'm surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But, suicidally reckless wasn't one of them." The demon says.
"I could always shoot you." John says
"You could always miss." The demon laughs, "And you've only got one try, don't'cha? Did you really think you could trap me?"
"Oh, I don't want to trap you." John lowers the gun, "I want to make a deal."
The demon smiles at John, intrigued.
Sam is standing on the window side of Isabeau's bed, hands in his pockets.
"Dean, are you here?" Sam looks around, hoping Dean can hear, but Dean isn't in the room.
"I couldn't find anything in the book. I don't know how to help you. But I'll keep trying, all right? As long as you keep fighting. I mean, come on you can't, you can't leave me here alone with Dad. We'll kill each other, you know that."
Sam pauses, "Dean, you gotta hold on. You can't go, man, not now. We were just starting to be brothers again. Can you hear me?"
Sam looks down at Isabeau, and sits down on the edge of her bed, taking her limp hand in his. His lip trembles, "I can't lose you. Not after everything, please. Isabeau if you can hear me, wherever you are, please, keep on fighting."
He squeezes her hand, "You said that you weren't going to die anytime soon… keep your promise, Beau. Stay with us. Please."
Dean is staring out a dark window, "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." Tess states.
Dean turns to her, "I'm serious. My family's in danger. Isabeau is in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me." He walks over to her.
"The fight's over." Tess says.
Dean shakes his head, "No, it isn't."
Tessa nods, "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."
Tessa shakes her head, "Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death."
"I think I'll pass on the seventy-two virgins, thanks. I have Isabeau." Dean tells her.
Tessa chuckles, "Isabeau… such a strange creature. Cheated death twice. Who knows, might do it a third time. But if she does die, her death will be an honorable one as well."
Dean sighs, "There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die! No. I'm not going with you, I don't care what you do."
Tessa purses her lips, "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 saying?" Dean asks, confused.
"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." Tessa tells him.
The demon, John, and the two minions are still around the summoning symbol. "It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn't just another trick?" The demon asks.
"It's no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you've got to help Dean and Isabeau. You've got to bring them back." John says.
The demon smiles, "Why, John, you're a 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 and Isabeau." John says.
The demon steps closer, "Don't be so sure. He killed some people very special to me. But still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat. And neither is your other son."
John lowers his head, raises his eyes.
"You know the truth, right? About Sammy? And the other children?" The demon asks.
John nods, "Yeah. I've known for a while."
"But Sam doesn't, does he? You've been playing dumb."
John glares at him, "Can you bring Dean and Isabeau back? Yes or no?"
"No. But I know someone who can. It's not a problem." He raises a finger, "Except for little Isabeau."
"What?"
The demon smiles, "You see… I'm curious. We were told that little Isabeau was of limits. No killing whatsoever." He shrugs, "But, I wanted to know why, so I did a little digging and what I found was quite intriguing. She was created for a purpose, two families from different worlds. One from below and one from above."
The demon chuckles, "She's escaped the hands of death twice and there's a reason for that. Certain people are making sure that she stays alive. If she dies and stays dead, then maybe she's not as special as I thought." He smirks, "But if she dies and then comes back, then that confirms all my suspicions."
John glares at him, "I can't just leave her to die."
The demon waves a dismissive hand at him, "Isabeau is not your child, John. And besides, there's a rough 50 percent chance that someone behind the scenes will save her. But you already knew that… So, only Dean, nothing more."
John clenches his jaw, "Before I give you the gun, I'm going to want to make sure that Dean's okay. With my own eyes."
"Oh, John, I'm offended. Don't you trust me?" The demon smiles. John scoffs and shakes his head slowly. "Fine."
"So we have a deal?" John asks.
The demon shakes his head, "No, John, not yet. You still need to sweeten the pot."
"With what?"
The demon steps closer, "There's something else I want, as much as that gun. Maybe more."
Dean is sitting on the bed, with Tessa behind him. "It's time to put the pain behind you."
"And go where?" Dean asks, staring into nothing.
Tessa smiles weakly, "Sorry. I can't give away the big punchline. Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?"
As he turns to look at her, the lights start flickering, a familiar buzzing starts. They both get up from the bed, confused. "What are you doing that for?" Dean asks.
Tessa shakes her head, "I'm not doing it." They both turn to a vent in the floor and see black demon ichor pour out of it.
"What the hell?" Dean asks.
"You can't do this! Get away!" Tessa says as the demon ichor creeps toward her.
"What's happening?!"
Tessa screams as the demon flows into her mouth. She turns, eyes glowing yellow, "Today's your lucky day, kid."
The demon places a hand on Dean's forehead and he convulses.
Sam is still sitting on Dean's bed as Dean gasps, suddenly waking up and choking on the tube in his throat. "Dean?"
Sam turns and shouts into the hallway, "Help! I need help!"
The doctor looks at Dean's chart, "I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed. Your vitals are good. You have some kind of angel watching over you."
Dean is sitting up in bed, "Thanks, doc."
The doctor leaves and Dean turns to Sam, "So you said a Reaper was after me?"
Sam nods, "Yeah."
"How'd I ditch it?"
Sam shakes his head, "You got me. Dean, you really don't remember anything?"
"No. Except this pit in my stomach. Sam, something's wrong." Dean says. He looks up at Sam, "Isabeau? How is she?"
Sam licks his lips, "She's bad, Dean. They… said she only has a couple of days, but you told me she was fighting to stay alive."
Dean looks down, "She's gotta make it. If she doesn't…" Dean trails off. If she doesn't make it, after yellow-eyes, what was the point of everything?
Sam nods, understanding, "I know."
A knock at the door makes them turn and they see John hovering in the doorway. "How you feeling, dude?" John asks.
"Fine, I guess. I'm alive." Dean says.
John smiles, "That's what matters."
"Where were you last night?" Sam asks with an undertone of anger.
"I had some things to take care of."
Sam nods, "Well, that's specific." He says sarcastically.
Dean glances over, "Come on, Sam."
"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asks.
John shakes his head, "No."
Sam shakes his head, "You know, why don't I believe you right now?"
John sighs, walking into the room, "Can we not fight?" He pleads, "You know, half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I, I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?"
"Dad, are you all right?" Sam asks.
John smiles and nods, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired. Hey, son, would you, uh, would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?"
"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sam leaves, frowning and John looks after him sadly.
"What is it?" Dean asks.
John looks back, "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, you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd... You'd say 'It's okay, Dad'."
John pauses, "Dean, I'm sorry."
"What?"
John shakes his head, "You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying 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, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know... that I am so proud of you."
Dean looks at him in disbelief, "This really you talking?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me." John sniffles.
"Why are you saying this stuff?" Dean asks.
John comes closer, puts a hand on Dean's shoulder, "I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"
"Yeah, dad, you know I will. You're scaring me."
John smiles at him reassuringly, tears falling, "Don't be scared, Dean."
John leans over and whispers something into Dean's ear. Dean pulls back in shock, processing. John pulls away and nods, "And one more thing… Isabeau… when she wakes up. Love her, you and Sammy. Protect her. She's going to need it."
With that, John leaves, and Dean stares after him.
John walks into Isabeau's room, looking down at her with tears in his eyes. He comes up to the side of her bed and leans down, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Isabeau… I don't know if you can hear me, or if you'll remember this. You made my boys the happiest men in the world. Love them, protect them… I know you will. You're a hothead when it comes to their safety."
He chuckles to himself sadly, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I tried. But I have faith that Bartholmieu and Yvette will find a way. They did the first time."
John stares down at her and leans forward, whispering in her ear. He pulls away once he's done and gives her a soft smile. Once he walks out the door, Isabeau's spirit flickers into the room, watching him leave.
She smiles softly, glancing over at her body. She looks down at her bare left hand, more specifically; her ring finger.
Isabeau smiles, crossing her arms, "Thanks for the blessing."
Isabeau's spirit flickers, disappearing completely, leaving only her unconscious body in the room.
John enters his hospital room and places the colt on a small bed table. "Okay."
Sam walks back to the room carrying a cup of coffee. He looks into a room and sees John on the floor. "Dad?!"
Dropping the cup, Sam runs to John's side, kneeling over him and screaming for help.
Once again, a crowd of doctors and nurses attempt resuscitation, this time on John. Dean and Sam hover in the doorway, and a nurse tries to push them out.
"No, no, no, it's our dad. It's our dad!" Dean pleads. "Come on." Dean says as the two brothers watch on.
"Okay, stop compressions." The doctor says.
They watch on helplessly, "Come on, come on."
"Still no pulse." The nurse says.
"Okay, that's it everybody. I'll call it. Time of death: 10:41 am." The doctor's voice echoes out.
So... what a sad season 2 opening, huh? And Isabeau hasn't woken up yet... interesting. Next chapter is an original chapter, but as usual it is important to the plot and if you just skip over it, you will be 100% confused for episode 2. Just to let you know.
Hope you enjoyed!