Three more days went by before Dean awoke. Luckily, before that happened he had already been transferred from the ICU to Sam's bedroom, since the other room occupant had already been released. Erin preferred leaving the Winchester alones for that time, glad that John seemed to have decided his sons come first everything, and spent all his awaking time with them, talking with Sam, observing Dean for any change or simply enjoying his sons' presence.

When Dean groaned and slowly turned his head, was the first time John got up from his wheelchair and as fast as he could, he approached Dean's bed. Even Sam who still had an IV attached to his arm and a firm prohibition to leave his bed, both from his father and his doctor, got up and went to Dean's side. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a pair of half-glassy hazel eyes looked from John to Sam and back again.

"Yo…"

Dean groaned again and tried to clear his throat. Why did his mouth felt like sandpaper?

"Here, let me help"

Sam moved slowly to the table next to the bed, and picked up the water glass with the straw and approached it to Dean's lips, who started sipping gullibly.

"Easy… you don't need a coughing fit…"

Dean turned his head to the voice. John was standing next to his bed, smiling in relief as Dean had seen him smile very few times in his whole life. He tried speaking again, this time feeling his throat collaborating.

"Man.. you two look awful"

John and Sam shared a stare before starting to laugh altogether. It was like the tension from the past days was dissolving with the laughs. When finally John sobered up, he looked at Dean again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck…"

Sam frowned

"Well, that really covers it up basically, you know…"

"Whaaat?"

Dean tried to sit up, only to discover two facts: one, that his body wouldn't comply anytime soon that simple task, and two: that even if hid body was up to the act, surely his father wouldn't have let him, since he gently places his hands on Dean's shoulders to stop any movement. Dean looked at his father expression and saw that John seemed unable to look at him in the eyes. He sighed.

"Dad… wasn't your fault"

John let go of Dean but still wouldn't look at him. Instead, he moved to the room window and peered outside.

"The hell it isn't. I was the one that allowed that sonofabitch to possess him. I'm the one who almost, ALMOST killed you, Dean."

John turned around.

"I knew there was a reason why I shouldn't have let you come with me. When you were born, you and Sammy, I made the same promise. To you boys, to Mary. That I would always keep you safe, no matter what. After Mary died, I broke that promise too many times. There were times when I knew the thing, the spirit or demon which I was going to face would be too much dangerous for you boys. That's when I would leave you with Pastor Jim, Caleb or whoever was in the area. When Missouri told me about how evil really was the Demon we were hunting, I knew for a fact that when the time came in which I found him, I would face him alone. I would not let anything happen to either of you. After finding the Colt I thought it was safe, that with the weapon we could destroy the Demon easily and I became reckless. I made a mistake I have no intention of repeating"

Sam sat down on Dean's bed.

"Dad.."

"Dad" Dean interrupted Sam. His voice firmer than when he had awaken. "That's bullshit and you know it. Even if you had gone alone to get that Demon, what would have happened? Meg had already contacted us, that Demon knew where we were, what we knew. And you would have got captured, possessed and the Colt destroyed forev… The Colt!"

John turned around

"Don't worry, the Colt is as safe as it can be"

The following day of the accident, Erin had told him where she had hid the Colt and the protections she had placed upon it. John had no choice but to agree surely it was for the best. The Demon was weakened by the bullet Sam had shot, so it was pretty safe to assume it wouldn't have access to the Colt, and he had demonstrated that all the Demon minions, like Meg or that other guy were susceptible to Holy Water, in which the Colt was actually submerged.

Dean frowned

"Where?" the question was muffled by a yawn. He still was so tired, it would be very easy to close his eyes and…

"We may have a problem here!"

He forces his eyelids open again at the unknown voice. A woman, around his age or may be a little older was closing the door and sealing it with salt. He looked at his father and his brother, and was surprised to discover that, while they seemed surprised by her actions, they didn't seemed surprised by her. He raised his eyebrows.

"Er… strange woman with salt on the door. Anyone care to explain?"

Erin turned around from what she was doing when she heard Dean.

"Hey, you're awake at last."

"Yeah, lucky me" Dean took a good look at her. Normal height, dark short hair, brown eyes, dressed in jeans, a plain t-shirt and snickers. All in all the perfect image of normality. But it was a woman nonetheless, so he put on his best flirting smile.

"And you are?"

He heard his father groan and Sam's muttered 'yeah, he's alright', but decided to ignore them. The woman looked up at him raising her eyebrows.

"I am not a demon or possessed by one, which a lucky factor for you, since I'd already swept your ass to next moon if I had been"

Dean frowned and stared at Sam who suddenly had a coughing fit which someone could misread as giggles and found the floor very interesting.

"Dean, this is Erin, she helped us after the attack." John looked at Erin "What's all that about?" he pointed to the salt on the door. Erin sighed.

"I was talking with your doctor when I saw how two of the nurses suddenly developed a strange case of black eyes…"

Sam looked at her. "Possessed?"

Erin nodded.

"But how? The colt is hidden on the box. You said it was undetectable while hidden there…"

Sam held an accusatory glare at Erin. He had seen what that Demon was able to, and had already told his father more than once that a simple box in a bucket of Holy Water didn't seem like could offer that much protection. Seems he had been right after all. Erin looked at him.

"The Demon has not discovered us because of the Colt"

"Then what?"

Erin hesitated. Back in The Order, Robert had told her while explaining what she had to do, that the Demon could be alerted by two ways: The Colt, which she had made sure wouldn't be the case or…

"Dean"

The name, softly pronounced, made Dean to open up his eyes again, which he hadn't been conscious had closed on their own volition.

"What?"

Erin shook her head.

"No. Dean is why they found us"

Now the three Winchester were looking at her, frowning. Erin looked at John.

"You don't realize how special they are, do you? You know the Demon wants Sam, He made it pretty obvious when he possessed you. Sam has very special skills, which, can be very good, or very bad. It all depends on how they are used. That's why the Demon is after kids like him. Imagine Sam's psychic abilities to their maximum strength and used to that Demon's benefit. Imagine an army of people like Sam"

She took a deep breath

"And then there's people like Dean"

"What's with me? I'm developing a ultracool power?"

Erin smiled in spite of herself.

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't think so. But you are which could be called, the perfect antithesis of the Demon. All the Demon wants is to destroy, to darken, to conquer and bid everything to his own will. You want to protect, to help…"

"Okay, now I'm feeling like Obi-Wan, which is scary in itself because I always saw myself as a little Han Solo and.."

John interrupted Dean's ramblings. "And what does this have to do with the Demon finding us?"

"Good and evil are attracted to each other, like the two poles of a magnet. While Dean was asleep, he couldn't find him, but now he's awake… why do you think he tried to kill Dean the first of all? The Demon knows he can't possess him, the battle would be to hard and it would leave him to weakened, but if he killed Dean, he would have a clear path to achieve his goals"

John rubbed his temples at the same time someone started pounding on the door

"So now what?" Dean and Sam asked at the same time.

Erin left the bag he was carrying on Sam's bed and opened up the zip. She started producing shot guns, guns, and Holy Water bottles.

"Now, first of all, we get the hell out of here. Then, we start planning the way to destroy the Demon"

The pounding in the door become even more incessantly and when Erin started giving the weapons, she saw Dean had once again slipped into unconsciousness. That would difficult the matter…

TBC

A/N: Well, first of all, sorry for the delay, I know I've said it before, but job and real life really really got me this time. Anyway, this chapter is the longer I've written so far, I hope that compensates a little the waiting! I promise next chapter will be up sooner than this one. Reviews are oh so very welcome, as always! ;)