Twisted Love
Beta'd by mysterychic. Many thanks to her for beta-ing.
Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural, but I do own Johnny, Kit, their parents, Jack Foel, and Newbridge Falls.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter is okay. A large percentage of it was written late at night. I get the most ideas then, but I can never trust just how good my skill is, my mind tends to go numb after a while, and I start writing on auto-pilot.
Review Answers:
Maygin – Really? Yeah, I did that because I like how it's done that way on the show (sometimes, I don't think it was done that way in Nightmare), it's cool. Yeah, I'll be clarifying why it's so indecisive about who its victim is in the next couple of chapters (hopefully). If I tell you now it'll spoil the surprise. And the whole vision in front of Johnny… yeah, don't know what made me do that, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Pleased it was well received.
I'll tell you this much, there's probably going to be more to it then losing Jessica. I'm still trying to decide on that, but I know what it will be if I decide to put it in.
Ah, yes, that was good, wasn't it? Lol, pleased you liked it. Wow, that would be interesting to see. Ah, the first official guess. Well, I'm not saying anything, though I wouldn't mind hearing what made you think that if you remember. Okay, I go write now; everyone's giving me orders, lol.
Rose of No Man's Land – Good to hear from you again. Pleased you liked the story. Too good, you say? I'm glad you found that funny, that was the main point, though… hilarious wasn't exactly the word I had intended for it to be described as. Nothing wrong with that of course, I am the writer after all, and none of my stuff seems to be as funny to me as it is to other people (though some stuff comes close).
Yes, I do do that, it sometimes helps to keep them in character if I can imagine it happening on TV. Yes, I like to call it 'emotional torture', though that was quite mild compared to what I am capable of (does the shifty eyes thing). One person said I was frighteningly good at writing stuff like that; I actually shock myself sometimes with how bad my emotional torture gets. But we're straying from the point now and I won't bore you with my torturous thoughts.
Really? People actually faint like that? Wow, that… is creepy. And yes, a little weird. When I was writing it, for someone reason I kept seeing flashes of Aunt Petunia from the Harry Potter movies doing it. It was just… (shudders).
Hmmm… adore, I think that's a new one. Though it's nice of you to say nonetheless. Pleased it's so enjoyable. Love these long reviews, keep it up if you can.
PhantomFable – Laziness, it's like the reviewers-bane, if that makes sense. But I'm pleased I finally prompted you to review. I'm still surprised when I get told it's stuff like 'amazing' and 'wonderful' but it's nice to hear (er… read) it. Yeah, I do my best with them. Type faster? My fingers are already blurs, if I type any faster the keys will break, lol.
jka1 – Thank you, so kind of you to say so. Pleased you warmed up to them. Here's the update, no answers yet though.
bououou – You like? That's good. Yeah, I have to agree with that, I'm gonna try and make the next one better, if there is a next one. Wow, your first? I'm honoured. The site's been doing something mean, and won't let me upload. So this update's been a little late. Hope it hasn't taken too long.
Kat – Yeah, I've noticed that, one reason why I'm writing this story. More intimate scenes? I'll do my best, shouldn't be too hard, but you never know.
DixieBelle51 - You liked it? Yay, another helpless Supernatural fan sucked into my ever growing web of reviewers, er, I mean... Anyway, glad Sam caught your interest. Here's the good work.
Chapter 8: A Long Night
Dean blinked at his brother, not quite sure he'd heard right. Johnny was looking from Sam to Dean, obviously confused.
"Something was… after me?" He asked hesitantly. "Something, like, what…? Like whoever's been killing all those young men?" Sam reluctantly nodded.
"A succubus." Dean said. Sam shot him a look, but Dean ignored him. "You ever hear about those things in school?" He asked. Now Sam just looked judgemental. "Well he might've." Dean said defensively.
Johnny was looking from one brother to the other again. "A… succubus." He said, something close to shock evident in his voice. With a sigh, Sam gave a clarifying nod.
"Yes," he said, and with another sigh, decided he might as well tell him the rest, "Dean and I, we hunt things like that. That's why Dean and Dad were here two years ago. That's why we're here now." He glanced at Dean, who nodded for him to continue. "At first, I… we, thought it was coming after you." He left out the part where the main reason he'd gone out with Johnny in the beginning was because Dean was convinced he could protect him. "But I think it's been… visiting me. Every time I fall asleep." Dean frowned at that.
"Succubi can't do that." He said.
"Apparently, some can." Sam said. "Some form of astral projection I think. They can… project a part of themselves into someone's dreams. Of course, only a rare few have advanced that far. Most either die or are killed before they learn how to do that." Johnny looked both shocked, and in a sense, relieved. Then he looked guilty when he noticed Sam had noticed his relief, and Sam figured that he had felt relieved the succubus was not after him, then guilty because the reason it was no longer after him was because it was after Sam.
"So… what do we do now?" Kit asked.
"We don't do anything." Dean said. "You take your brother…" He'd almost said home. "Somewhere safe. Now that the succubus isn't after him, all you need to do is keep him safe from someone else almost as bad." Sam's eyes widened when he realized what Dean was saying. His hand flew up and closed over Johnny's shoulder possessively. Dean arched an eyebrow, and Sam's cheeks turned red when he realized what he'd done. Johnny, however, seemed pleased by the motion, looking over his shoulder, smiling thankfully at him.
"I'll be fine." He assured Sam. "I'll have my big sister there to look after me." He said with a grin. Kit rolled her eyes and slapped him in the back of the head.
"What'd I tell you about calling me that in public?" She asked. Rubbing the back of his head, Johnny just shrugged, still smiling at Sam. Sam couldn't help but smile back.
"I'll be fine." Johnny repeated. He leaned forward and gave Sam a quick peck on the lips, and then, glancing at his sister, walked over to his Volkswagen. Kit looked disdainfully over at the car, back at the Winchester brothers, and then back to the car.
"Good luck." She said. "Call us when you beat this thing." She said. Dean nodded.
"Will do." He said. Kit gave him a wry smile, and then followed her brother to his car. Dean looked over at Sam, who was still watching worriedly after Johnny. "Come on, we need to go find a place to crash while we try to figure out what to do about the succubus' interest in you." Sam blinked, and then turned his gaze on Dean.
"Yeah. Right, okay." He said, clearing his throat. Dean nodded, and then led Sam back to the impala.
It didn't take them long to find a new motel. They got everything they'd need out of the car, paid for one night, and then dropped everything in the room before going out to find somewhere to get an early dinner. They settled on some chips from the Fish and Chips store Dean had used for cover earlier that day. They took the chips back to the motel, making a quick stop at the library to join up and borrow all the books on succubae (which, like many of the books they borrowed from libraries, would probably never see another shelf again).
They ate with only mild interest as they searched for some way to kill a succubus while it was visiting via dreams and not physically. Dean was also pumping Sam full of coffee to keep him awake, because as long as he was awake, the succubus couldn't reach him without physically coming to them.
But after almost five hours of research, both Winchesters were getting drowsy, caffeine or no, and were still no closer to figuring out how to kill a succubus in its dreams then they had been five hours earlier.
Dean was the first to drift off. It was a slow, subtle thing; so much so that Sam didn't even notice that Dean's face had gotten closer and closer to the page with each passing minute. By the time he actually hit the page, Sam was already too far-gone to notice. Within five minutes, before of them were fast asleep, Dean with his head resting against the book he'd been reading, Sam with his head tilted back over the back over the chair, his mouth hanging open slightly.
It moved as if it wasn't there. No one would see it. No one would remember it. Before a second passed it was in front of Sam, reaching down toward the younger Winchester as he slept. He opened his eyes as it laid its hands on his shoulders, but he was already under its spell. His eyes were filled with love and devotion as he slowly got to his feet and let it lead him to the bed.
"It's time." It whispered suggestively. He just smiled as it pushed him into a laying position on the bed. Then suddenly the room changed, and it hissed, looking wildly around, feeling its control over the dream slipping away. Sam just laid there, unaware of the changes. "I… can't." It growled, turning back to Sam, and although he couldn't see its face, couldn't even make out the mildest of features, he knew it had a promising look on its face; promise of return. It leaned down so that its lips were equal with his ear. "You will be mine!"
Sam woke with a start, and to his shock, he wasn't in the chair anymore. He swallowed, raising his head to discover he had somehow ended up lying face down on the floor. He took in a short, shaky breath, and slowly pushed himself up, swinging his legs around so that he was in a sitting position. He looked around the room. Aside from him waking up in a different position to when he went to sleep, nothing seemed terribly off. But he felt like something should've been… something was off.
He slowly got to his feet, looking around the room, like he was expecting something to jump out and attack him. Something… the succubus, he remembered. That was what he'd been researching before…
Before he'd fallen asleep. Something he'd been specifically trying not to do. He closed his eyes, trying to think of it had visited him. He frowned and opened his eyes, looking down at his body. Well, he thought, I probably wouldn't be alive if it had. And I don't remember it. But would I? He walked glanced at where he'd woken up. Halfway between the table and the bed. Had he been on his way to go to bed before he'd fallen asleep? No, they'd been trying hard not to fall asleep.
His eyes widened and he quickly rushed to Dean's side when he realized his brother was fast asleep.
"Dean, wake up!" He said, shaking his brother until Dean's eyes opened sleepily and he glared at Sam.
"You're not Michelle Branch." He stated sleepily. Sam rolled his eyes. "Dude, why'd you wake me up?" Dean demanded.
"I thought… well, I wasn't sure if the succubus had come after you or not… I had to make sure. Sorry." He said, and Dean immediately felt guilty about his snappish tone. With a sigh, he sat up, leaning against the back of the chair and rubbing his eyes tiredly. One day he was going to just collapse into a real bed, and just sleep for a few days. Then he'd go another decade on just an hour of sleep a night.
"So… where were we?" He asked his brother. Sam shrugged, and it was obvious that both of them were in desperate need of more than a couple of hours sleep. Whatever had filled Sam with energy moments earlier (probably the thought that his brother might've been in danger), it was gone now. Both of them were hopelessly exhausted. If the succubus showed up physically right then, neither of them would be in any condition to fight it off.
"Sam!" Dean suddenly noticed Sam's head starting to droop. The younger Winchester looked up at his brother's voice, blinking.
"Sam…" And every time he heard that voice whispering in his ear, he wanted to fall sleep all the more. "I want you. I need you. Sleep." He felt his eyelids slowly fall shut, his head dropping forward again… Only to be startled awake yet again, this time by a glass-full of water splashing over his face.
"I said…" Dean set the now empty glass down on the table. "… that I think I've figure out a solution to our sleep problem." Sam stared tiredly at his brother. If Dean was even half as tired as he was (it seemed as though all the caffeine had had a reverse effect on him), it was amazing he could think clearly enough to even talk, let alone come up with a way to sleep without being in danger of being killed.
"If you'll now turn your gaze to the ceiling above your bed." Dean said. Sam looked up obediently, and couldn't help a small chuckle at what he saw.
"A dream catcher?" He asked tiredly.
"Well, they're supposed to capture evil spirits and dreams. The succubus is sort of like that." Dean said. Sam shook his head, but at this point, he was willing to try anything. He glanced at the clock beside his bed as he stumbled (with Dean's help) the short distance from the chair. It was a little after three, which meant, not counting the snatches of sleep he'd had over the last day when the succubus had visited, he'd had maybe two hours of sleep in the last three days.
"'Night Dean." He said quietly as he crawled under the covers, sounding very much the age he had been the last time they'd used a dream catcher. He'd been about nine at the time, and the thing in his closet had scared him. When his father wouldn't make it go away, instead giving him a .45 to get rid of it himself, the terrified child had turned to his brother for aid, and Dean had hung the dream catcher over his own bed (which had become Dean and Sam's bed as soon as the thing moved into the closet). He'd promised that the dream catcher would suck up anything bad that came into the room (complete with exaggerated gestures and sound effects, much to Sam's pleasure).
"Goodnight Sammy." Dean said with a smile, straightening the blankets out over his brother to provide more comfort. And then he walked around and collapsed onto his own bed, fully clothed and not even bothering to get under the covers.
When Sam opened his eyes again, he felt sure that he would wake up in the motel, the sun shining through the window, and the dream catcher still in place above his bed. What he hadn't expected was to find himself in a poorly lit room, far away from Dean and any protection the dream catcher might have given him. He sat up, looking around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
If only he'd thought to do more research on astral projection, a talent this particular succubus had excelled at, far surpassing any of its peers. He would have known that some can pull people with them across distances in a dream. And that was why it wasn't the comforting motel room he woke up to.
He had about four seconds to worry how he'd gotten there and how he'd get back to the motel before he felt that familiar sense of bliss wash over him, and his whole body relaxed as he eased back down onto the bed.
It smiled at Sam from across the room. While it's loss in control had been an inconvenience early, had it not happened, the idea to bring him here would not have come to the creature so quickly. And now, quiet and quick as death it moved across the small, dank room, towards the bed at the very back, completely naked as it reached down with a long slender arm and slipped a hand under Sam's head, prompting him to lean up a little.
"They can't help you now." It said. Of course, it didn't expect Sam to respond. Under the spell, the young man was content to simply lie there, staring adoringly up at the creature that was planning to kill him. "It's time to end this." The creature closed its eyes for a moment, and when it opened them again, they were two blue orbs of determination. "For both our sakes."
A/N: I hope this chapter doesn't seem to repetitive. I know I had the succubus dream twice, but I had to get them to that room for a specific reason that you'll find about in the next chapter. And the whole dream catcher idea just seemed to help with that, so I figured it might be better to have the first 'dream' wake them up, and then have the second dream at the end. Well, hope its okay. By now I'm sure you all know how to review and why, so I'll leave it up to you guys. Until next time, Cyas.
