Chapter 5:

Dean watched angrily as a group of three young guys stared at Candy across the room. She had gone to search for a song on the jukebox, and she was bent over, peering in the glass. The guys were chatting amongst themselves while they started, which only pissed Dean off more. He had safely and successfully hussled three hundred dollars off of some rich frat boy in a blue polo. The guy was much more interested in Candy than playing pool with Dean. Although it helped Dean win, it made him furious to know that anyone else was looking at Candy like that. Everyone did, though. That was the price of having such an alluring girl by his side.

It didn't help of course that she was wearing a tank top that stopped just above her bellybutton and a short skirt. Her fiery red curls were tousled about in a way that always made her seem sexier to Dean and probably to everyone else as well. Before Candy, Dean was never in a serious relationship long enough to start becoming jealous of other guys. With her, however, it burned inside of him. Even when it was his own brother.

Once Candy gave up on finding a song on the jukebox, she walked back over to Dean with a look of disappointment. As could be expected, the three guys followed her with their gazes.

"I couldn't find our song," she pouted.

"What song?"

"Our song. Bon Jovi. You know. 'I wanna lay you down on a bed of roses, oh, at night, I'll sleep on a bed of nails'," she sang quietly. "That song. The one that was playing on the radio that night after we got out of the shower together... and went to the bed."

"Right. I remember that. Felt like a scene right out of an eighties movie," Dean joked playfully. "Great song. Great night."

"Yeah, well, they don't have it. I really wanted to hear it again," she sighed. "I think I might just play a game of pool. You should give me the keys before you drink anymore."

"I don't think I'll drink too much tonight. Gotta get up tomorrow and function properly tonight. I may not have a bed of roses, but I'm still planning on laying you down," he smiled the way that Dean always smiled when he said something witty.

"Okay," Candy beamed, skipping back to the pool table. She began a game, and Dean turned back around to the bar to order one last beer before he began the long process of sobering up.

Candy bent over for only a moment to take a shot, and suddenly, she felt someone pressing up against her. She stood back up, feeling a hand creep around to grab her hip kind of forcefully. Knowing it wasn't Dean, Candy did anything a good hunter would do. She threw her head back and smashed it into the face of the man behind her. He fell backwards, so she turned around and threw another devastating punch to the man's face. After that, he hit the floor, groaning in pain. The bar was silent except for the few bits of quiet laughter from the friends of the guy who had touched her.

Dean rushed over to where she was standing over the now bloody-faced college guy. He took her by the arm and pulled her towards the door. Once the were in the Impala, Dean turned to ask her what had happened.

"He grabbed my waist," she admitted angrily. "Came up behind me while I was shooting pool. What an asshole..."

"Next time, I'll go to the bar alone, okay? I don't like all the drunk guys that hit on you or try to make a move on you. It's not even your fault, I just... I really don't like it. My hunter instincts kick in, and all I want to do is decapitate them. Or neuter them..."

"Dean..."

"You're mine, Candy," Dean said, starting the car, "and there's nothing I would not to do protect you."

They drove straight back to the motel, and Dean hopped into the shower quickly in an attempt to cool off. Meanwhile, Candy wondered around the room, looking for something to occupy herself until Dean got out of the shower. On the table by the door, she noticed the light pink box that she had purchased from the antique store. She became immediately intrigued by it like the very first time the man showed it to her.

Candy lifted the lid of the music box, admiring the single white rose standing on a spring that was underneath. She flicked it mindlessly, then turned the box over to find the pin she needed to turn to start the music. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed the pin and twisted it. As soon as her fingers touched the small piece of metal, a sharp pain shot through her fingertips, up her arm, and into her chest. Candy dropped the box, and she stumbled backwards in shock.

Her heart began to race and her chest ached horribly. Candy looked down at her forefinger that felt like it was on fire, and on the tip of her finger was a black spot. It seemed to spread up to her knuckle rapidly, then through the veins of her hand. The blackness branched out, following every vein in her hand and fingers. Finally, it stopped at her wrist where the bandage still covered the wound that Azreth had inflicted on her. Candy slid to the floor and began calling out for Dean.

The intense level of fear in her voice made Dean jump out of the shower instantly and run to her aid, almost forgetting to grab a towel. He hurried to wrap it around himself, then knelt down beside Candy who was sitting on the end of the bed.

"My hand!" She cried. "It hurts, Dean. It's burning!" Dean grabbed her hand, and he stared at the blackness spreading through her veins with wide and fearful eyes. "Dean... Make it stop..." She was practically sobbing at that point, and all Dean could do was hold her. After a few minutes, she stopped crying, and the pain seemed to ease up.

"What happened, Candy? What is that?" He questioned her.

"I don't know! I tried to turn the thing and make the music play from that stupid thing, and this pain just shot up through my arm and into my chest. Then this black suff started spreading," she whined. "Oh my God, it hurt so bad, Dean... It still stings."

"So it came from the music box?"

"Yes!" She groaned in frustration and pain.

"Candy, do you think this was like the rash that Donald said he had before he died?" Dean wondered. Candy shook her head frantically,

"No. Don't say that to me. I don't want to die."

"I wouldn't let you. It's something we have to consider, though."

"Damn it!" She cried out, laying her head back against the end of the bed. "Why me? Why'd I let him talk me into buying this stupid box?"

"We need to talk to that old man again. Find out if it's something he's doing. Could be witchcraft. You feel up to heading out tomorrow morning?" Dean asked her empathetically, then helped her up onto the bed. "If you want, I can go alone."

"First off, I'm never going to let you do something alone," Candy took a deep breath, "and secondly, I really don't want to be alone with this stuff spreading through me. It stopped for now, but what if it starts spreading again? It could kill me."

"I should go to the morgue. Sneak in and see Donald's corpse," Dean suggested. "I can do that alone, and you should stay here anyways. I'll be back soon." He kissed her on the forehead, and he snatched up his jacket and keys on the way out the door.

Candy was alone for a long time. She held her hand against her chest and prayed for Castiel to come and help them. Cas had done so much for them in the past, and she was quite fond of him. Anytime that they got into a situation that she was afraid could be too much for them to handle, she prayed to him. Prayed that he would come to the rescue again, as he had done so many times before.

After awhile, Candy decided maybe it would help if she slept through the pain, so she undressed and slid into bed. Just as she settled down, she felt a rush of wind whip through the room. She jerked up out of the bed, grabbing the knife on her nightstand and gripping it tighlty in preparation for a fight. Once she settled down, she realized that it was a familiar face in a long beige trenchcoat. She sighed in relief.

"Cas," she beamed, running to him. She jumped into his arms, squeezing his neck tightly. "I'm so glad you're here. It's been so long. Where the hell have you been?" Cas looked down at her, noticing the bandages on her exposed breast and her shoulder and wrist, as well. At first, he was concerned, but then his face flushed when he realized she was indecent.

"Candy, I think this would be much less awkward if you were dressed," Cas cleared his throat awkwardly. Candy remembered suddenly that she was in her bra and underwear.

"Shit... You're right," she frowned, rushing to the dresser to pull out one of Deans tee shirts. She slid it on over her head quickly and flopped down on the edge of the bed. "So where have you been, Cas?"

"Heaven is in a state of chaos, Candy, and I've been working hard to unify the angels again," he admitted without hesitation. "Raphael is gathering an army to fight me for control. I can't always be here to rescue you, Candy. You have to understand that."

"Oh, big brother, you're hurting my feelings," Candy stuck out her bottom lip playfully. Castiel smiled. It was always amusing to him how Candy could portray child-like characteristics in such an attractive way. He would never admit out loud that he thought Candy was overwhelmingly beautiful. As if it wasn't bad enough when she was involved with Sam, it was definitely wrong for Castiel to think of her in any way but a friend while she was with Dean. After all, Dean was Castiel's best friend. "I know you can't always be around, Cas, but you're still family to us. Sometimes we need a little of your angel mojo when we get into a tight bind."

"What's wrong, then?" Cas asked.

"It's still spreading," Candy grimace, holding out her arm. The blackness in her veins had spread up past the bandage around her wrist and stopped just after it passed her elbow. "We don't know what it is. It's involved in a case. It happened after I tried to start the music box over there on the table. Then it just spread up my arm. Hurts like hell."

"This hardly seems dire, Candy."

"Excuse me?" She scoffed. "The last man to buy something from that shop had his throat slashed. He complained about a rash, and I think that this may be what he had on him. It might be life or death, Cas."

"Every case could be life or death."

"Wow, Cas. I'll remember that next time I'm being cut up by an angel outside the motel," she huffed angrily.

"Wait, what?" Cas questioned her, kneeling down in front of her. He rested his hand on her knees. "That's what the bandages are for, isn't it? What happened, Candy? Who was it?"

"Some asshole named Azreth. Dean came out there and ran him off, but not before he took a knife and dug it into me a few times." She ran her thumb gently over the bandage around her wrist. "He wanted to know where Sam was. He said Sam was aiding the enemy, and that we better look out because he's going to be around."

"This isn't good, Candy. Azreth is Raphael's best soldier. He's really dangerous, and it's my fault he's after Sam," Castiel took a deep breath. "I got Sam out of the cage."

"What? How?"

"It took a lot out of me. Made me weak for awhile. Sam is damaged from his time in the cage, but he's been helping me hunt and kill Raphael's followers. He's my greatest asset now. This, of course, means that I'm also responsible for the attack on you, Candy. I'm so sorry." He reached up to rest his hand on her cheek. "If Azreth returns, call on me again."

"And what about now? Can you tell me what this is in my veins? It burns... and when it starts to spread again, it burns even more." Candy removed his hand from her cheek gently. "You should visit Dean at the morgue, too, before you hightail it back to your war."

"Candy, I don't know what is inside of you. It does not come from heaven or hell, so my knowledge is limited. I can see it I can get rid of it." He stood, then sat down beside her. He took her arm into his hand gently and rested his palm on hers. As hard as he focused, the blackness seemed immune to his influence. It seemed like a poison, but he could not heal her of it. After a moment, he squeezed her hand and returned it to her lap. "I can't do anything. I'm sorry, Candy."

"It's okay," she smiled half-heartedly. "I've been in situations like this before, and I'm sure we'll fix it. Dean has a way of finding a solution to everything. I'll live."

"If anything goes wrong, call me again, Candy. Don't abuse my help, but I'm here if you really need me. Like you said, we're sort of like family," Cas told her, kissing her head before standing up and preparing to leave again. "I'll see Dean before I go. I'll tell him what I've told you."

"Bye, big brother," she looked down at her arm. Then, once again it began to spread through her veins. It climbed up her arm like a spiderweb, aching as if someone was holding her arm over a fire. Candy collapsed onto the floor, crying out in pain while tears streamed down her face. Castiel fell to his knees beside her, gathering her up in his arms.

"I'm taking you to Dean. Now."

"Hurry, Cas! It hurts so much," she sobbed.

"We're leaving now. Just hold on, Candy."