Sam sat watching Alicia in her bed, unconscious and motionless, trying not to let the hypnotic sound of her monitors lull him asleep. He had watched each and every personnel like a hawk who came in and checked on the young woman, refusing to leave Alicia's side since Dean had left hours ago. One of the nurses took sympathy on him and brought him a large Styrofoam cup of coffee, which Sam was grateful for. He glanced down, saw it was nearly empty, drank down the rest of it, then got up and threw the cup in a nearby wastebasket before sitting back down. He sighed, frustration and worry racing through his mind as he was completely unaware !Alicia was nearby, just watching him.

"Look, uh," he said softly, trying to keep his composure, "I know we were at each other's throats earlier, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you."

"I was being a pain in the ass, Sam," Alicia replied, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "I know I've never been a pleasant person when I'm sick."

"But you gotta get better, Alicia," Sam continued. "We need you—Dean needs you. He's a mess, I don't even know where he's gone right now, and I don't know what he'll do if he loses you, so you gotta be that strong, stubborn person I know you are and fight this thing." He jerked his head over as the door to Alicia's room opened and Dean walked in. The hunter had changed from his suit into his normal clothes, cleaned his hand, and he carried his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sam demanded as he stood up.

"Busy," Dean replied curtly as he shut the door and walked over to a nearby table, setting the duffle bag on it.

"I'm gonna need something more than just 'busy', Dean," Sam retorted as Dean opened the bag and started rummaging through it. Dean didn't respond, and Sam scoffed. "You disappear for hours while your wife is lying in a hospital bed with a machine that's breathing for her, and the only explanation you can give is you were 'busy'?"

Dean stopped and looked at his brother, almost fuming. "Fine," he said. "I went back to the motel, changed, packed up all of our crap, and brought everything back here in the car." He pulled out some clothes and tossed them to Sam, who looked confused. "Sam, Allie's ring was off for over half an hour, meaning her location was probably broadcast to every freakin' demon in the area. If they come here—and I'm willing to bet they will—we gotta be prepared to keep her safe at all costs. Now, I got the guns loaded with salt in the bag, along with the Colt, and they'll stay there unless we need them, okay?" All traces of anger at his brother disappeared as Sam set his jaw and nodded before heading into the room's bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"You're gonna need my help," !Alicia said as she watched Dean reach into the bag and pull out various things: containers of salt, spray paint canisters, flasks with holy water, silver blades, and Alicia's stash of different vials. "I don't know how, but you will." Dean started by grabbing one of the containers and pouring a line of salt around Alicia's bed. !Alicia closed her eyes, exhaling. "Look, I know you don't know I'm here, and I get why you're doing this, but I can't get over that salt line if I need to get back to my body, " she paused, rolling her eyes, "not that I can right now, anway."

Sam came out of the bathroom, changed into his regular clothes. He tossed his suit on the chair, then grabbed another container of salt and raised the blinds, pouring a line on the window sill. Some of the salt grains scattered, hitting !Alicia's arm. The spirit shouted loudly in pain as the grains passed through her, and both Dean and Sam stopped and looked at each other in shock.

"Did you hear that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied. "You don't think….?" The brothers looked cautiously around. "Alicia?"

"Allie?" Dean asked hopefully.

"Oh, great, you heard me," !Alicia replied, annoyed, wincing as she rubbed the spot on her arm where the salt hit, "and all it took was a freakin' amount of pain for that to happen." Everyone was silent for a few moments.

"Wait, I got an idea," Dean spoke up after some time passed. He went over to Alicia's stash and grabbed the Worrittwod, holding it up. "This is used to contact spirits, remember? If Allie's here, we can use this to contact her."

"Yeah, only if you know the correct spell," !Alicia pointed out, "which you don't, so please don't waste that." Dean, of course, heard nothing as he unscrewed the vial, and the young woman sighed. "You never listen."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Sam asked as Dean poured the contents onto his palm.

"Not a clue," Dean replied, "but if Allie can do it, how hard can it be?"

"Oh, so you think it's easy doing spell work?" !Alicia asked, insulted, folding her arms.

"Dean, Alicia's a witch," Sam pointed out. "She's got off-the chart magical potential."

"We had magic, too," Dean retorted, "remember?"

"Keyword being 'had'," Sam replied, "and you can barely follow the directions on a box of mac and cheese, and yet you still end up burning it most of the time."

"Do not," Dean said, insulted.

"He's got a point," !Alicia replied. "Your cooking sucks, Dean." She watched as Dean held out his hand, palm up, then placed his other palm on top and rolled her eyes. "And you look like an idiot."

"Alicia, sem revelare tuum," Dean said, squeezing his hands together" !Alicia closed her eyes in frustration. Dean looked around, confused. "Why didn't it work?"

"Uh, maybe because you just said 'Alicia, reveal your salad'," Sam pointed out.

"I did?" Dean asked. "Really?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and I don't think they have croutons in the afterlife." Dean gave his brother an annoyed expression.

"Amateur," !Alicia muttered.

Dean opened his mouth, but the room's door suddenly opened. Everyone looked over as Bobby walked in, then stopped just short. The last time any of the hunters had seen each other, things had been…less than pleasant, but it didn't seem to matter at the moment. Dean and Sam—and !Alicia—just stared at him, while Bobby stared right back at the brothers, also unable to see his niece's spirit. "Bobby?"

"Bobby," !Alicia whispered in shock.

"Dean?" Bobby asked. "Sam?" His expression softened. "It's good to see you boys." He glanced down and saw Alicia lying in bed, unconscious and hooked up to monitors, and his expression faltered. "Alicia." He stepped toward the bed, but in one swift motion, Dean quickly grabbed two of the silver knives off the table, tossed one to Sam, and held the other one out defensively at Bobby as the hunter stood in front of Alicia's bed . "Dean, it's me."

"Really?" Dean asked, his voice low and deadly, his eyes narrowed. "Funny, I don't remember calling and telling you what was going on."

"I called him," Sam explained, his eyes locked on Bobby as he held his blade out, crossing over to stand next to his brother. "Said Alicia was in the hospital, and it was pretty bad."

"Yeah, and I haul-tailed over here as soon as we hung up," Bobby explained. He looked over the brothers' shoulders at Alicia, taking a step closer. Dean and Sam held up their blades, pointing the tips right at Bobby's chest, staring coldly at him, unwavering.

"Hold out your hand," Dean ordered. Bobby looked at him. "If you're really Bobby, you know the drill." Bobby looked between the brothers, then he sighed and held out his hand. Dean took his wrist while Sam watched Bobby for sudden movements, and the older Winchester took the blade and gently sliced across Bobby's palm. A line of blood appeared, but Bobby showed no signs of pain.

"Convinced?" Bobby asked, slightly sarcastic, as the brothers visibly relaxed, looking relieved. "I'm not a shapeshifter." The hunter went over to a nearby table and grabbed a small towel, pressing it against his wound, turning back to Dean and Sam. "Now, you mind—" He was interrupted as he was splashed with a face full of water. He stopped, water dripping, then turned and spit, looking annoyed. "I'm not a demon either, you ijit."

Dean didn't look the least bit apologetic as he held up the open flask. "Good to know," he said, lowering his knife. Sam lowered his as well, and the brothers parted, allowing Bobby to approach the bed. The hunter's eyes flickered with emotion seeing his niece in her current state.

"What happened?" Bobby said as he pulled the chair closer and sat down. He glanced at the spots on her face. "Are those—?"

"Chickenpox," Dean finished. "Allie said she never got them when she was younger."

"She didn't," Bobby replied somberly as he tenderly put a hand on Alicia's forehead. "Mark and me were so paranoid about—well about everything—so we pretty much kept everyone away from her. We didn't know who we could trust." He shook his head. "If it's just chickenpox, why is she like this?"

"Apparently, chickenpox in adults is more serious," Sam explained. "Alicia has pneumonia…they've had to drain a lot of fluid from her lungs."

"You think she's in danger?" Bobby asked as he removed his hand and carefully reached for hers, holding it between his. He glanced over at the brothers and noticed their curious expressions. "You got salt on the windows and around her bed, weapons and holy water, and spray paint to make symbols, am I right?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. "We think—"

"What the hell?" Bobby asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he pulled his hand away, seeing the band on Alicia's ring finger. "Where did that come from?" He stared at it for a few moments, then a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes, and he quickly glanced over at the brothers. "This better not be what I think it is." Sam and Dean glanced at each other, keeping quiet. "Someone had better talk. Now."

Dean swallowed nervously, but he took in a deep breath and slowly held up his left hand. The dim light glinted off the matching metal band on his ring finger. "Look, Bobby, before you—"

Moving faster than either Dean or Sam had ever seen, Bobby jumped from his chair, crossed over, grabbed Dean by the front of his shirt, and slammed his back against the far wall; Dean's knife was knocked from his hand, and it clattered to the floor. "You son of a bitch, I could throttle you right now!"

Sam hurried over and grabbed Bobby's hands, trying unsuccessfully to pry this from his brother. "Bobby, stop it!"

"Bobby, calm down!" Dean replied, struggling to get free, but Bobby was stronger than Dean remembered. "Let me explain!"

"Explain what?!" Bobby's eyes were daggers as he tightened his grip on Dean's shirt.

"Guys, come on!" !Alicia shouted as she stood near the foot of the bed while the trio of hunters continued arguing with each other. "Enough, guys! This is not the time to be doing this!" As her family continued their fight, the unseen spirit felt her frustration welling up; she was sick of the arguing. "Shut up!" She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, her 'body' trembling with anger at their childish behavior. "I said SHUT UP!" She swept her hands across the nearby table, and all the items on it were flung off, clattering to the floor loudly. Everyone stopped and stared at the fallen objects.

"What the hell was that?" Bobby said as his grip on Dean loosened.

"Allie?" Dean asked as he discreetly shrugged out of Bobby's hold, looking around.

Bobby looked confused, but Sam gave a small shrug, and the older hunter had enough experience as a hunter to just go with it. He looked around the room. "Alicia?" he asked cautiously.

!Alicia raised an eyebrow, stunned by what she'd done and pleased. "'Who you gonna call?'" she said lamely. She looked up at the trio, knowing they still couldn't hear or see her, but she still gave them a frustrated expression. "Could you three jackasses wait until after this room is demon-proof before you tear each other apart?" She heard something outside her room, and she crossed the room and reached for the doorknob. Her hand passed right through it, and she sighed, frustrated.

Taking in a deep breath and remembering she didn't have a physical body for the moment, !Alicia closed her eyes, recollecting herself, then stepped forward, passing right through the door into the corridor. Despite all the astral projecting she'd done over the years, it was slightly different being a ghost with less control over her 'body', but the young woman was quite proud of herself for being able to adapt so quickly.

A spirit suddenly flew past the young woman, causing her to stiffen, but she quickly collected herself and hurried after it, following it through the hallways, reflexively dodging people in the process. She lost it for a moment, but then she came around a corner and stopped short when she saw it hovering outside a closed doorway. It appeared blurry—out of focus—and she narrowed her eyes, trying to see it better. It started floating closer to the door. "Hey!" she shouted.

The spirit stopped and turned to face her. It opened its mouth, letting loose with an ear-piercing scream that caused !Alicia to crouch on the floor, covering her ears in agony. After a few seconds, the screaming stopped, and the young woman looked up in time to see the spirit charging her. !Alicia couldn't even brace for impact as the spirit hit her like a professional quarterback. She went sailing back, landing hard on the floor. She saw the spirit fly past her and disappear around a corner.

Knowing it was probably what Dean and Sam had been hunting, !Alicia grumbled softly and got up, determined to follow it. She took a few steps but stopped short when a doctor and nurse in scrubs rounded the corner, staring right at her. They both blinked, and their eyes turned completely black. The young woman swallowed nervously, her eyes widened slightly, before she turned around to head in the other direction. Two orderlies rounded a corner on the other end of the hall, their eyes also pitch black.

"Crap," !Alicia whispered, glancing back and forth between the pairs of demons, trying to rack her brain to come up with something, but without a physical form she knew she wouldn't be able to defend herself, especially when the odds were four to one.

"Ramiel would like a word with you, Alicia," one of the demons said as they edged toward her.

"Ramiel can go to hell," !Alicia retorted, balling up her fists, "and you can join him."

"I would watch my mouth, sweetheart," another demon said. "You're in no position to be talking back, regardless of what our boss wants with you."

"I don't care what he wants with me," !Alicia retorted. "And I'm not your sweetheart, either."

"Perhaps not," the first demon said, "but you're gonna be his little bitch soon enough."

"I don't think so."

!Alicia stiffened, and her eyes widened when she heard the familiar gravelly voice behind her. She quickly turned, and her expression changed to utter confusion when she saw Jimmy standing right behind her. It had been three weeks since she had last seen him, but he looked exactly the same: same suit, same shoes, same trench coat, same loosened blue necktie. The difference—and it was a startling difference—was his expression. The compassionate expression in his face—the gentleness in his blue eyes—had been replaced with a look of steely determination.

"Jimmy?" !Alicia asked, stunned.

Jimmy looked right at her, his expression unwavering. "Wait here," he instructed before walking off, heading right for two of the demons. When he was within a few steps, !Alicia saw a long, silver blade slip out of his right coat sleeve, and he expertly gripped the handle. In one swift move he brought the blade up, stabbing the possessed doctor in the stomach while grabbing the jaw of the nurse with his free hand. Both the doctor and nurse shouted loudly as their eyes and mouths flashed bright orange for several seconds before suddenly stopping. !Alicia's eyes widened as both bodies collapsed to the floor, and she knew they were dead.

The young woman heard sounds behind her and turned to see the demon-possessed orderlies within a few feet of her. She reflexively backed away, holding her hands up defensively. "Alicia, duck!" she heard Jimmy shout. !Alicia almost hesitated, but she quickly did as he instructed and dropped to the floor. She looked over in time to see Jimmy leap over her and grab both the orderlies by their jaws. He slammed them to the ground hard, and the same bright orange light flashed from their eyes and noses briefly before it vanished and their bodies went limp.

!Alicia stayed where she was, too stunned to move or make a sound. Jimmy turned around, his expression hard and deadly, and he stood straight, walking over to the doctor's body to retrieve his blade. He pulled it from the body, the blade covered in blood, and he quickly wiped it on the doctor's coat before tucking it on the inside of his trench coat. He turned to face the young woman, and his expression softened as he walked over. "Are you okay?"

"You can see me?" !Alicia asked as she slowly stood up.

"Of course," Jimmy replied. "Now, are you okay? Are you hurt?" !Alicia shook her head. "Good. We should get you back to your room. There might be more" He grabbed her arm and started down the hall, but she pulled away from him.

"Whoa, hold on," !Alicia replied. "I haven't seen you for three weeks, and you just suddenly appear out of nowhere, you can see and grab me right now, and you can kill demons just by touching them—none of which you mentioned you could do in Lake Tahoe."

"I'll admit there are some things about myself that I haven't told you," Jimmy said, "but I'll explain everything once we get you back to your room." He grabbed her arm again, but she jerked free once more.

"How about now?" !Alicia replied, frowning.

Jimmy looked at her, seeing her determined expression, and sighed. "My name's not Jimmy Novak, and I'm not really a caretaker."

"Then who are you?" !Alicia demanded.

"My name is Castiel, but your mother preferred to call me 'Cass'. I'm an angel."

(End of Chapter 7)