AN: Thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chap. Hope you enjoy.
Dorian glanced over to her bedside table. The red numbers blinked 10:43pm. There had been ample time for her father to fall asleep. He never worried about Dorian sneaking out. He thought his punishments scared Dorian enough to keep her in check.
Dorian smirked as she remembered all the times she had snuck over to Marion's house. The conversations they would have all night long and even how sometimes Marion would help her with the wounds Rick inflicted on her.
She sighed with a heavy heart at the realization that her best friend was dead, Dorian got up and grabbed the bag she had stashed under her bed earlier that day. All of her supplies were hidden in the woods. Her father checked her room regularly for anything of the occult. After the first few times he found it, she wised up and hid her supplies out side of the house.
She double checked the contents of the bag, making sure she had grabbed everything she would need. Nodding in satisfaction she zipped up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. Dorian tiptoed down the stairs. They squeaked under her feet, but it wasn't enough noise to wake her father.
Dorian made it to the bottom of the steps and silently made her way to the door.
"Where in the hell are you going?" Her father asked.
Dorian squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and turned around. Her father was standing at the top of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest. Anger was etched into the lines of his face. Dorian knew she was in trouble. "I was just throwing some stuff out," She said.
"Don't lie to me," He said pounding down the stairs. Each thunderous boom of his footsteps coincided with the hammering of Dorian's terrified heart.
Dorian took a step back. Her mind was racing. He was supposed to be asleep, why wasn't he asleep?
"I saw you go and meet those FBI agents in the woods. What are you going to do? Try and get them to take you away from me?" He jerked the bag off her shoulder.
"No, I was…" She stopped when he looked in the bag. Her heart stopped for a beat. She knew she was in trouble.
He glared up at her, malice and anger flowing from his eyes. "What is this? Devil supplies?" He backhanded her.
Dorian cried out and brought a hand to her throbbing face.
"I told you I would not have this evil in my house," He didn't yell, but the effect was just as scary.
"No, it's not evil!" She yelled, taking a step back. "Mom wasn't evil either!"
Rick back handed her again and she stumbled. Tears stung her eyes and she felt warm blood trickle down her lip.
"It's evil," He yelled. "And so are you! You're just like that witch mother of yours!" Rick dropped the bag and took off his belt. "I told you what would happen if I found this crap in my house."
Dorian ran for the door, but he grabbed her. He caught her across the face with the belt. She cried out and fell to the floor. She tried to cover herself as Rick continuously beat her with the belt.
"Stop," She screamed. "Please!" Dorian's breath caught in her throat as a lick hit her across her ribs. That area was unprotected because she was using her hands to cover her face. Another hit came down on her and she screamed.
"I told you I wouldn't tolerate this," He said still coming down on her with the belt. "No child of mine is going to be a devil worshipper!" He went for another strike when someone grabbed his arm. He looked over, anger boiling inside of him.
"And what you think you can beat the devil out of her?" Dean asked, pushing him back.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rick asked.
"Checking in on your daughter," Dean said.
"I told you to stay away from Dorian," He seethed.
"Yeah well we thought she might be in danger," Dean said. "Turns out we were right."
Rick took a step towards Dean. He was enraged that these men had come into his house, into his business and interfered with his daughter.
"Dean," Dorian said, weakly. Her body was in so much pain she could barely move. Sam had helped her up and now she was leaning against him for support. "He's not worth it."
"I disagree," A voice said behind Rick.
Dean took a step back. Rick slowly turned around.
Dorian was staring past all of them. Her face paled and her knees threatened to collapse under her weight. She felt Sam tighten her grip around her and despite the pain, she was thankful.
The spirit of Alexus was standing a few feet away from Rick. She smiled sweetly at her husband and took a step towards him. "Rick," She said. "Dear, sweet Rick."
"Sam, get Dorian out of here now," Dean said, quietly.
"Alexus," Rick said taking a step back. "This is impossible. You're dead."
Sam began leading Dorian to the door, but she pulled away. "No, I'm not leaving."
"Don't be afraid," Alexus said walking over to Rick. She reached out a hand and caressed his face. For a moment, he looked as though he had longed for that touch. Then, the complacent look on his face turned to one of horror.
Alexus's body turned to charred skin and bone. Her beautiful features were gone left with pink muscles and an open nose. Her hands were nothing but burnt skin and exposed muscle.
Steam began to rise from where Alexus's hand touched Rick's face and. He screamed and tried to pull away, but it was as if her hand was glued to his skin.
"No," Dorian screamed. She tried to run to her father, but Sam wrapped his arms around her and held her back.
"Sam, get her out of here," Dean said, rushing to help Rick. He didn't think the bastard deserved to be saved, but he couldn't just stand by and watch him die either.
Dorian watched in horror as Dean rushed to her father's aid. Sam was pulling her towards the door, but she fought him tooth and nail. She couldn't just run. She had to help.
Dean grabbed Rick around the waist and yanked, trying to free him from Alexus's hold. Rick didn't budge. Realizing that he'd never save Rick that way he ran around and in an attempt to distract Alexus he grabbed her arm. His hand began to sizzle and he jerked his hand away.
Rick's body was turning red. Blisters began forming on his face and arms. "Help me!"
"You did this to me," Alexus said gently. She was watching him begin to burn, not with malice, but with the sadness of a woman who was betrayed by the man she loved. "You and the others."
Dorian screamed as she saw her father's body burst into flames. She tried to run towards him, but Dean came over and helped Sam pull her out of the house.
"Dorian," Sam said when they were out side.
"He's dying," She screamed. "We have to help him!"
Sam gently shook her. "Dorian, he's gone. There's nothing we can do."
She sagged against him and started crying. Sam held onto her, while Dean jumped in the car and grabbed there fathers journal. Dean was going to send Alexus back to the grave.
"Dean no!" Dorian screamed as he ran past her, into the house.
"It's okay," Sam said, hugging her tightly. "He knows what he's doing."
"She'll kill him," Dorian sobbed. "Just like she killed my father. Just like she killed everyone else!"
A moment later Dean emerged from the house, shaking his head. "She's already gone."
Dorian pulled away from Sam and started walking towards the house. Her heart was pounding, her head was swimming and her body was hurting like hell, but she had to see her father.
Dean gently grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
"I have to see him," Dorian said, not looking at Dean.
Dean turned her to face him. She was shaking and her eyes were glazed over. "Dorian, listen to me, you don't want to go in there. You don't want to see your father like that."
"I have to." Her eyes were fluttering. "It's my fault he's dead."
"That's not true," Sam said walking up to them. "None of this is your fault."
Dean smirked. "Sam's a pretty smart guy. A college nerd and everything. You should listen to what he says."
She stepped away from Dean. "I didn't tell you everything before."
Dean and Sam exchanged a glance.
"What didn't you tell us?" Sam asked.
Tears streamed down Dorian's face. "I conjured her spirit. I kept having the nightmare about my mom. I had to know if it was true or if I was crazy."
"That still doesn't make this your fault," Sam said. "You didn't know she was going to hurt people."
Dorian shook her head. "But if I had just let her spirit rest, none of this would have happened. Marion would still be alive."
Sirens sounded in the distance. The police were on their way. It was a small town, it wouldn't take them long to get there.
Dean walked up to her. "None of this was your fault, all right. We can't talk about it anymore because the cops are on their way. Right now you don't know anything. You came downstairs and saw your father's burnt body. That's all got it?"
Dorian nodded. "My supplies are still inside. If they find it…"
"I've got it covered," Sam said jogging towards the house.
The cops showed up moments after Sam came out of the house. Sam shoved Dorian's bag in the car, shutting the door, just as the police were getting out of theirs.
The police questioned them, but didn't push too hard since Sam and Dean were still pretending to be FBI. The brothers were surprised to find that the Sheriff was Jim Cochran, Marion's father. They were also surprised that no one asked about Dorian's bruises.
After being questioned repeatedly, Dean announced that they were taking Dorian into their custody for the night. Sheriff Cochran tried to persuade them to let Dorian come with him, but they politely told him that they thought Dorian might be next on the list of fire victims and they were taking her into protective custody. Reluctantly Sheriff Cochran let them go.
By the time they got back to the hotel Dorian was much calmer. The tears had stopped and she wasn't shaking as badly. As they walked into their room they realized Dorian was in a lot of pain. Her steps were stiff and slow, and her jaw was clenched so tight it was a wonder she didn't crack her teeth.
"Do you have a shirt on under that sweater?" Sam asked, helping Dorian ease onto the bed. He wanted to get a better look at her injuries.
She nodded and started to take off the sweatshirt.
"Why don't you let me do that?" Dean asked, seeing how much it hurt her. She nodded again and Dean grabbed onto the bottom of her sweatshirt. Dorian lifted her arms as much as her body would let her and Dean gently pulled the sweatshirt over her head.
"Thanks," She said when the sweater had been removed. She closed her eyes not wanting to see their reactions. The town's people had become accustomed to her having bruises. They all simply looked the other way.
"Jesus," Dean said, eyes taking in the welts and bruises on her arms and shoulders.
"I'll be all right," Dorian said, trying to smile. "I've been worse."
"Yeah, I believe you," Sam said seeing older bruises beneath the new ones.
"How's your hand," Dorian asked, nodding towards Dean.
"Oh," Dean flashed Dorian his hand and smiled. "Not even a mark."
"I'm sorry that you got dragged into this." She looked down and began fidgeting with her hands.
"Comes with the job," Sam said. He gently lifted the side of her shirt and saw more bruises on her ribs and side. She flinched when he touched her. "Sorry."
"Comes with my life," She drawled. "We have to put my mother's spirit to rest. I can't let her hurt anyone else."
"We, nothing," Dean said. "Sam and I will take care of your mother. You're hurt and you need to rest."
"No," She argued. "I caused this mess. I have to be the one to clean it up."
"You didn't know this was going to happen," Sam said.
"No, but that doesn't change the fact that if I had never conjured my mother, Marion and my father and the others would still be alive." She looked Dean in the eye. "I'm going with you and if you say no, I'll just do it on my own."
"You're stubborn as hell do you know that?" Dean asked.
"I'm serious," She said. "With or without you I'm going to fix this."
Dean shook his head. "Fine, you can come with us, but we'll handle your mother's spirit tomorrow."
Sam raised an eyebrow. Dean normally was the first to race into the dangerous situation to get the big bad supernatural being.
"But, what if she goes after someone else?" Dorian asked worriedly.
"I think the only reason Alexus went after your father was because he was hurting you," Sam said, playing along with Dean. "I think she was just trying to protect you from him."
"But what if you're wrong?" She asked.
"Listen," Dean said walking around and kneeling in front of her. "You're hurt and you're exhausted. If you want to go after her with us you're going to need your energy. Trust me sending your moms spirit back to the grave is not going to be an easy task."
"You're right. I know you are," She drawled. "But I just…I don't know. She's my mom you know. I just don't understand why she's taking her rage out on the kids instead of the people who killed her?"
"Maybe she is taking her rage out on the people who killed her," Sam said.
"What?" Dorian asked.
"When the town murdered Alexus they took you away from her," Sam said. "Now I'm guessing that your mother loved you more than anyone else in the world."
Dean nodded. "And if that's true Alexus is going after the kids so that their parents will feel the same way she's felt all these years without you."
"Or it could be the other way around," Sam said. "It could be she's angry at how they made you feel, by taking your mother away from you, so in return she's taking their kids away from them."
Dorian shook her head. She was shivering again. It was all so much to take. Her best friend and her father were gone. She knew she shouldn't care that Rick was dead, but no matter what he did to Dorian, he was still her father. She sighed and touched her swollen lip. She was tired and her body was becoming sorer by the minute.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked. "You're shaking."
"I'm fine," Dorian said. "I'm just sore."
"Come on," Dean said, helping her off the bed. "Let's get cleaned up."
"Yeah," Dorian said. She grimaced as her muscles screamed in pain with every movement. "That sounds good."
Dean led her to the bathroom and she sat down on the toilet seat. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with cold water. He kneeled in front of her and began wiping the blood off her face. He rinsed the wash cloth again and then pressed it against her swollen lip. "Sorry," He said when she winced.
"It's okay," She mumbled through the rag. Dean laughed and she shoved him playfully.
"Hey, be nice," He said, still smiling. "I could bump into one of your many bruises accidentally on purpose, if you catch my drift."
The edges of her mouth turned up behind the rag and Dean was glad to see her smile.
Sam came in and put the first aid kit on the counter. "Here," He said. "Ours is better than the hotels."
Dean removed the rag and Dorian said, "You guys sure come prepared, but I can take care of myself. Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"No, not at all," Dean said. He handed her a towel and the two of them walked out, closing the door behind them.
"So we're going after her tonight," Sam said, when he heard the water running.
"Absolutely," Dean replied. "After she falls asleep we'll go out and put Alexus's spirit to rest."
"You think Alexus's spirit will go after Dorian?" Sam asked.
"I don't think so, but we're not going to take that chance," He said seriously. "We've got the supplies and dad's journal. I figure we'll call her spirit to us out in the woods, where no one else would be around to get hurt. Than we'll just lay her to rest properly and the problem's solved."
Sam nodded. "It shouldn't take long for her to fall asleep. She's exhausted."
"That's what I'm counting on," Dean replied.
Twenty minutes later Dorian came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her hair was in wet strands around her face and she held the towel tightly to her body. They noticed she was extremely to thin for a girl her height. The bruises had come out in full colors ranging from purple to that ugly yellow green color.
"I'm a little stiff," She said. She looked away when she noticed them gawking. "Do either of you have a pair of sweats and a large shirt I can borrow?"
"Uh, yeah," Dean said coming out of his stupor. Dorian didn't have exotic features. She was more the girl next door. Well the beaten up girl next door. He was more appalled by what her father had done to her than by any beauty that may have been buried beneath her injuries. He grabbed some clothes out of his bag and handed them to her.
"Thanks," She said retreating back into the bathroom.
"I can't believe he beat her that bad," Sam said, shaking his hand.
"Bastard deserved to die," Dean said sincerely.
A moment later she came out, dressed in Dean's oversize clothes. "Thanks, this is a lot more comfortable."
"No problem," He replied. He walked over and pulled back the blankets on the bed. "Come on hope in."
Dorian smiled sadly and walked over to the bed. She eased herself down, but her muscles were so sore every movement hurt. Once she was sitting Dean lifted her legs on the bed for her. She laid her head on the pillows and Dean covered her.
"Get some sleep," He told her. "No one else is going to hurt you."
"Thank you," She said through a yawn. "Both of you."
"Don't worry about it," Sam said, giving her a smile for reassurance. "Just get some rest."
She gave the barest of nods and closed her eyes. Moments later, she was asleep.
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