Chapter 14:
Dean noticed the troubled look on Candy's face all day. He waited patiently until they arrived at the motel they were going to stay at for the night. Sam was staying at Bobby's, so Dean decided to put some distance between himself and his brother for the night. It also gave him the perfect oppurtunity to be alone with Candy and find out what was wrong with her. He wasn't stupid; he knew it had something to do with Sam.
Candy took a shower to try and clear her mind. The water tamed her wild curls and laid them down her back in waves of auburn red. She shaved her legs so they were as soft as a baby's skin after a bath, and after she was done, she stepped out of the shower and combed through her hair slowly. She was stalling, hoping to avoid talking to Dean for as long as she could. Once she opened up to him, she knew that she would have to tell him the truth about what happened outside with Sam.
Dean knocked on the bathroom door, "Candy?"
"Just a minute, Dean." She set her comb down and dropped her towel around her feet. The best way she knew how to distract Dean was with something that he always enjoyed. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door to reveal herself, completely unclothed. Dean's eyes immediately dropped to her glistening skin and the curves of her body. "Am I just going to stand her like I'm on display, or are you going to get undressed?"
"You're avoiding talking about today, aren't you?" Dean quickly regained his composure. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Tell me what happened. Now, Candy."
"Dean, no... Let's just enjoy the moment," she pleaded with him. Her hands grabbed onto the hem of his jeans, yanking Dean forwards. "Just... make love to me, Dean. Like you mean it."
"Oh, I always mean it, baby," Dean told her as he grabbed her wrists. "And I'll mean it just as much after you tell me what's wrong."
"Dean, I don't wanna talk about it."
"I do," he frowned. "Just tell me what happened. Please."
"Sam kissed me," she finally admitted. "I was outside, sitting on the hood of a car, and he came out there. He talked for a minute, then he pulled me into a hug. I felt awkward, so I got up to leave. Then he grabbed my arm... And he kissed me. I swear to God it wasn't me, Dean. I didn't return the kiss or anything." Candy's knees began to wobble, and her naked body began to tremble. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Fuck!" Dean snapped, turning around and kicking over his own suitcase furiously. It wasn't often that Dean used that word, so when he did, Candy knew that he was seriously pissed. In a fit of rage, he picked up his suitcase and threw it across the room. Then he turned the mattress over on the bed closest to him, threw everything off of the dresser, and slid to the ground with his elbows on his knees. "I knew this would happen. I knew he would try to take you away from me."
"Stop it, Dean. He's your brother. We don't know everything he went through, so... We have to be patient with him. And loving, too. Me, you, Bobby, Cas... We're all he has," Candy tried to defend Sam. "I'm not going to run back to Sam. I don't care what he tries to do. I'm with you, Dean. I want to always be with you."
"He can't have you," Dean stood quickly. He walked back to Candy aggressively, lifting her off of the ground so he could pin her back against the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist,
"Dean...," she gasped as he pressed himself against her. He used the wall to hold her up so that he could reach between them and undo his jeans. Candy kept her arms wrapped around his neck, anxiously awaiting the feeling of him pushing into her. For a moment, she felt the tip of him. Then, he dropped her suddenly and pulled his jeans back up. "What's wrong, Dean?" Candy asked him.
"I'm not in the mood anymore," he grumnled, heading for the door. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be right back." Dean slammed the door behind him as he left the room. Candy, still shaking furiously, walked back into the hot bathroom. She picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself. Her hands rested against the cold marble of the sink, but her eyes stared straight ahead at her reflection in the mirror. Then, as if she was an insecure teenager again who hated herself, she watched herself start to cry.
Candy heard the door open behind her, and she turned around to confront Dean about leaving her like he did. Unfortunately, it wasn't Dean who came through the door. It was a familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel. Candy grabbed the bathroom door, but before she could close it, Azreth burst through the door. It flew back and hit Candy in the mouth, instantly splitting open her bottom lip. She stumbled back against the sink, and Azreth grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her out of the bathroom and threw her down on the bed.
"Dean!" She screamed. Azreth had closed and locked the door already, which meant Dean probably couldn't hear her. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to scramble for the door, but Azreth caught her by the legs and pulled her back. Her instincts kicked in, and he kicked her leg upwards, hitting Azreth in the nose. He let her go for a second, and she rolled away from him. Clinging to her towel, she ran for the door. Azreth was there in an instant, though, and he grabbed her by her hair. After throwing her head forward and smashing it into the door, Azreth yanked her back and let her crumble to the floor.
"You know where Sam Winchester is, little girl," Azreth glared down at her. "You're going to tell me, or I will inflict so much pain, that you'll wish you were dead."
"I'm not telling you a damn thing," Candy spat blood as she spoke. "So just kill me because I'm not going to tell you anything."
"Oh, I didn't say I was going to kill you," Azreth chuckled. He knelt down beside her, "I said I was going to make you wish you were dead." He grabbed her wrists and held them down. "They don't want you dead. No... We can still use you. But they told me I could destroy you."
"Go to hell you slimy son-of-a-bitch," Candy spat at him. Azreth stood up, and he grinned down at her. After a moment of feeling powerful, Azreth began kicking Candy in the side, over and over. When she rolled away from him, he picked her up by her arm and threw her at the chair by the table. He hit her in the face, hard enough to cause her to lose consciousness for a moment.
When Candy's eyes opened again, she was bound to the chair. Her ankles, as well as her arms, were tied to the wooden chair by various belts and long sleeve tee-shirts. Her eyes began to close again, but she was woken back up by a quick slap to the face.
"I have to hurry," Azreth muttered. "I don't know when Dean Winchester will be returning. I got lucky when I saw him leaving you alone. It was the perfect oppurtunity to try and get some information out of you." Candy lifted her head, and using every ounce of strength she had left in her, she kicked off of the floor and threw the chair backwards. When it hit the ground, it knocked one of the arms loose. Candy freed one arm, but before she could make anymore advancements, Azreths pulled the chair back upright. However, Candy managed to strike him in the face with her freed hand. As he stumbled backwards, she freed her other hand, then her ankles. For a moment, she felt proud. Then, Azreth grabbed her by her hair and threw her down on the bed.
"Cas!" She cried out, knowing that Dean wasn't coming back to save her. "Castiel, I need you! It's life or death, please! Help me!" Azreth slapped her across the face again, so Candy closed her mouth and fell silent. He held her wrists down.
"I hope he comes," Azreth nearly growled in her face. His teeth were gritting angrily. "That way I can kill him, then kill you. Two birds with one stone. Raphael will be pleased."
"Sure," Candy rolled her eyes, spitting more blood onto the floor. "If it goes that way. Cas probably won't even show. Plus, you can't kill me. Your bosses don't want you to."
"Well," Azreth leaned down and whispered in her face, "I can do other things." His hand slid between her legs, moving upwards underneath her towel. Candy squirmed and squeezed her legs shut desperately. Azreth jerked his hand away before anything happened, but Candy still felt sick to her stomach. "One last chance to tell me where Sam Winchester is."
"I won't. I would never tell you anything." Candy started to tremble in fear, but she tried to keep up her tough exterior. Azreth yanked her towel away from her, so she curled up in a ball to cover herself.
"Last chance."
"Fuck you."
"If you insist," he chuckled, grabbing her by the ankles. He started to try and pull her to the edge of the bed, but someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt. They tossed Azreth into the wall. Candy opened her eyes to see Castiel standing there, his face twisted by fury. Quickly, he slipped out of his trenchcoat and laid it over Candy's bruised and bare body. By the time Castiel turned around, Azreth was gone.
"What did he do?" Cas demanded to know. His voice was raised and he was obviously angry, but Candy could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Candy, tell me what he did to you."
"So much," she started to cry. Cas sat on the bed with her and wrapped her in a hug. After a moment, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.
"Let's get you into the shower. Clean you up. I have to leave, are you going to be okay taking a shower alone?" Castiel asked her with concern in his voice. "I'm going after Azreth. Will you be alright?"
"Sure, Cas," she smiled half-heartedly. "I'll be fine. Thank you so much... For saving me."
"I'm sorry this happened to you," Castiel frowned empathetically. "I'm sure Dean will be back soon. He never leaves you alone for long. Just... take a shower and wait for him. If anything else happens, call me again. I'll be listening for you. Don't worry."
"Okay," she sighed as Castiel kissed her forehead and took his leave. Once he was gone, she dropped his trench coat to the floor and stepped into the shower.
Dean downed the rest of the soda that he had gotten out of a vending machine when he walked around the other end of the building. He had finally calmed down and was ready to apologize to Candy. She didn't deserve to be yelled at or left high and dry. After all, it was Sam who made a move on her and not the other way around. Also, Candy told Dean about it, which meant that she wasn't trying to hide anything from him. Dean trusted Candy, more than he ever trusted anyone besides Sam.
When Dean got back to the motel room, the door was wide open. Dean's muscles tensed, and the soda he was holding fell from his grip. He ran into the room, searching for Candy. He didn't see her anywhere, but he could hear the shower running again. It was unusual because when he left, Candy had just gotten out of the shower. Dean pushed open the bathroom door slowly, peering around the corner.
The water was running hot, steaming up the entire room. Candy was laying unconscious in the bottom of the shower. Blood dripped from her forehead and her bottom lip. Dean's stomach knotted inside of him and a lump formed in his throat.
"Candy?" He said her name, but his voice came out as a hoarse whisper. She was so still and pale that Dean wondered if she was even still alive. There were visible bruises forming on her shoulders and upper arms. "Candy? Baby?" He hit his knees beside the tub, then reached in to grab Candy. He pulled her out of the tub and cradled her in his lap. After checking her pulse, he was relieved to discover that she was alive.
Dean lifted her and carried her to the bed that they were going to share. He took his shirt off, and he carefully slid it on over her head. Gently, he tucked her into bed, and with tears streaming down his cheeks, he picked up his phone and called his little brother. Despite everything that had happened, Dean asked Sam for his help. Once he told Sam what he came back to, Sam immediately agreed to meet Dean at the motel.
Candy woke up the next morning. Every muscle in her body ached, especially the ones in her legs. It felt as if she could feel every act of assault lingering in the bruises that Azreth left behind. Even her throat ached from the screaming. Opening her eyes, Candy realized she was in the bed, and that she was wearing Dean's tee shirt that he had on the night before. That meant that Dean had found her. The thought of Dean seeing her like she was made her eyes water.
Candy whimpered and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She remembered everything that Azreth did to her. Every single horrible act of violence inflicted on her. She sat up carefully, groaning as her body protested to any sort of movement at all. Her hair was wild, even more than usual, and she could still taste blood on her lip. When her eyes focused, she saw Sam and Dean sitting at a table at the end of the bed. Dean stood when he realized she was awake, and Sam just looked at her sympathetically. Her eyes were starting to tear up again when she saw Dean's face, saw the concern in his eyes.
"Candy," Dean finally spoke. "Candy, how are you feeling?" She shook her head slowly, bringing her hands up to her face. "No," Dean sighed, "don't cry. Candy... Talk to me. What happened?" Her hands fell away from her face, and she shook her head again. Sam finally stood and walked towards Candy. He sat on the bed beside her,
"Who was it? What did he do to you?"
"It was Azreth," she finally spoke. "He came after you left. I tried to shut him out of the bathroom, but he knocked the door back into my face. Then he grabbed me... Started beating me. Kicking... Slapping... I put up as much of a fight as I could, but it didn't stop him..."
"Candy, did he... Did he... You know..." Sam looked down at his lap, trying to find a sensitive way to ask the question. Candy knew what Sam was going to ask her.
"No, he didn't... He tried, but Cas showed up just in time. Gave me his trenchcoat to cover up, and I left it on the bathroom floor when I got into the shower. He had to leave. He went after Azreth, then I remember being in the shower. Then I woke up here," Candy told them. "He's looking for Sam. He won't leave me alone because I won't tell him."
"This happened because you were protecting me?" Sam scoffed. "You should have just told him where I was. I could handle him. You didn't need to do this on your own..."
"I didn't think he would come back for me so soon," Candy laid back down in the bed. "I didn't think any of this would happen. It hurts so much."
"We're going to get that son-of-a-bitch, Candy, don't worry," Dean said through gritted teeth. "I'm so sorry I left you alone. It's all my fault."
"It's not," Candy argued. "He was looking for me. He waited for you to leave. I'm the weakest link... He's after me."
"Just get some rest, Candy," Sam told her, stroking her hair lovingly. "If you need anything, tell me. Or Dean. Whichever one of us is around. Do you think you need to go to the hospital?"
"No, I don't. I'm okay."
"You're not," Dean grumbled. "You've been severely beaten, Candy. You're definitely not okay." He began pacing the room. "Sam, can we have a minute alone?"
"No," Sam said sternly. "You can't. I have a right to be here for Candy. Just like you do. She was mine first."
"Don't do this right now," Candy grumbled. "Sam, just leave us alone for just a minute. Please. Pretty please." Sam left the room without a word, but they could tell he was both frustrated and angry. Dean walked to Candy, then knelt down beside the bed. For a moment, he just stared at her, combing through her hair with his fingers. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Tears formed at the bottom of his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, baby... I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Dean. Really."
"It's all my fault. I should've been here... I should have protected you. I was angry, frustrated... About Sam, about Cas, about all of it. I was so jealous when you told me that Sam had kissed you. So jealous and so irritated. I'm sorry I yelled, and I'm sorry I left you. I won't do it again. I'm going to kill the asshole that did this to you. Then, I'll be beside you all the time. Never leaving you alone." It was obvious to Candy that Dean was feeling guilty for leaving her alone the night before. Although it wasn't his fault, Dean always blamed himself when she got hurt.
"I'm alright, Dean. I'll live," she smiled, this time genuinely. "I have you, after all, and that's all I need. I love you. I really do. You and all of your stubborn and hot-headed tendencies."
"I love you, too, Candy. Please don't leave me. For Sam, I mean..."
"I won't." She took a deep breath. "I promise."