Chapter 4

Numb

Dean placed the newly loaded gun onto the table and moved on to the next one. Sam sat on his bed and watched Dean closely. He hadn't said much since the night before.

"Dean?" Sam digs in the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a piece of fabric, "There's something you need to see."

He walks over to Dean and hands the fabric to him. Dean examines it closely, "It looks like a torn piece of clothing. Where did you find this?"

"It was in the backyard at Lucas and Peyton's house."

Dean looks up at Sam, confused. "Why didn't you show it to me last night?"

Sam shrugs, "I didn't think it was the most appropriate time after what happened with you and Brooke."

Dean becomes agitated, "What about it? There was nothing between me and Brooke and I don't care what she thinks! We came here to do our job and we're going to do just that." Dean stands up and walks toward his bed. "The sooner we get it done, the faster we can get the hell out of here."

Sam watches Dean curiously. "Right. Well I'm going to go check out the house again while it's daylight outside. The neighbors should all be at work right?"

Dean says in a warning tone, "Sammy, don't get caught."

Sam rolls his eyes and leaves. Dean looks down at the piece of fabric again. He sighs and sits down on the side of the bed, "What the hell am I doing?"

"You're doing the right thing, Dean."

Dean quickly turns around and sees Castiel sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Cas!"

Dean's moment of relief is short lived when he remembers the mess he's in. He gets sarcastic, "Well it's about time you showed up. You know, I hate it when you send me on these wild goose chases."

Castiel stares blankly at Dean, "It has its purpose"

"Right. Well the girl that you claim needs to be saved doesn't want anything to do with me. She thinks I'm insane!"

"You did the right thing by telling her the truth. It was inevitable."

Dean sarcastically laughs, "Oh sure! It was the right thing because she went running away in the other direction!"

Castiel appears beside the table, curiously looking at all of the weapons. "Brooke Davis has a hard time trusting people. You would know something about that."

"Thanks, Cas, but I don't need a shrink. " Dean stands up and walks across the room. "I can't help this girl if you don't tell me exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be protecting her from."

Castiel looks up at Dean, who has his back turned toward Castiel. "You'll know soon enough." Castiel walks closer to Dean, "It seems that even the surrounding of friends can't protect one's self."

"You mean…"Dean quickly turns around only to find himself alone in the room. He replays what Castiel just said over and over in his head. He takes his cell phone out and starts dialing.

*****

The day seemed to drag on forever for Brooke. She couldn't help replaying what had happened between her and Dean the night before. It was something she'd like to forget, but somehow it was permanently etched in her brain.

It was finally night time and Brooke was visiting Nathan and Haley. She sat with Haley in the living room.

"I'm really sorry, Brooke. He seemed like a really great guy. I guess you can't trust anyone these days."

Nathan walks in carrying three glasses of champagne, "Who are you talking about?"

Haley smiles teasingly at Brooke and says, "Not even your hot, sexy husband."

Nathan leans down toward Haley and says in a deep, sexy tone, "Oh really?" Haley pulls him down closer for a kiss.

Brooke smiles softly as she watches Nathan and Haley. They had been married for over seven years and they still seemed just as much in love as they were in high school. Brooke wondered if she would ever be that lucky.

Nathan hands Brooke her glass of champagne and sits down next to Haley, "Are we still talking about this Dean guy?"

Brooke rolls her eyes, "If it were up to me, we wouldn't be talking about him."

Nathan looks at Haley, "Hales, give it a rest. She obviously wants to forget about this guy."

Haley shrugs, "I'm just trying to find a loophole through this whole thing so that maybe he's not as crazy as he seems to be."

"Ha! Good luck with that one." Brooke takes a sip of her champagne. "I'm perfectly content with having Jamie as the only man in my life. I know he would never let me down." She winks at Nathan and Haley.

Haley smiles, "Yeah, the poor thing was so exhausted when we got home from Nathan's basketball game. The moment his head hit that pillow, he was out."

Nathan laughs, "But not before he made sure we checked the closet and under his bed for monsters."

Brooke laughs, "Well, of course!" She takes another sip of champagne. "So how's the game going for you, Nathan?"

"Really good. There were some NBA scouts at the game tonight."

Haley pats his leg, "You were amazing! I'm sure you'll be getting a call soon, Nathan." She kisses him on the cheek.

Nathan smiles and pulls Haley closer, "I just hate being away from you and Jamie so much."

Brooke sympathizes, "I'm sure Jamie understands. He wants you to get into the NBA so badly. We all do!"

"Thanks, Brooke." Nathan shifts in his seat and starts to stand up, "I forgot to lock the basement door when I came back up. I'll be right back." He places his champagne on the table and walks off through the kitchen.

"So," Haley sips her champagne, "About Dean…."

Brooke throws her head back in exasperation, "Haley!" She lightly laughs, "Please don't start again!"

Haley laughs, "I'm just kidding!" Haley and Brooke sit there in silence for a few moments, "But what about his brother, Sam? He was really cute! Do you think he's normal enough…."

Brooke's mouth drops open in shock and she throws one of the couch pillows at Haley. They both start laughing.

Crash! Thud!

Brooke and Haley look towards the kitchen, startled.

"What the hell was that?!"

Haley quickly stands up and rushes toward the kitchen. "Nathan!"

The back door is wide open. Haley stops abruptly when she gets to the top of the basement stairs. She screams, "Oh my God!" Haley rushes down the stairs to Nathan, who is on the floor unconscious. His arms and legs are all bent in awkward ways underneath him. She tries not to move him.

"Nathan! Nathan, open your eyes! You have to be okay! Please!"

Brooke gasps when she sees Nathan. She rushes down the stairs, "Haley! What happened?!"

Haley screams, tears running down her face. "I don't know!"

She looks down and notices all the blood coming out from behind his head, "Oh my God! There's….there's so much blood!"

Brooke tries to swallow the big lump that's forming in her throat. This can't be happening. "He's gonna be okay, Haley. He's going to be fine!"

Brooke and Haley look up towards the top of the stairs when they hear things being thrown around in the house. Haley looks at Brooke, terrified, "There's someone in the house!"

"Jamie!"

Brooke runs up the stairs. She expects to run into whoever is in the house, but when she gets into the living room, no one is there. Just bits of furniture that had been thrown around. She rushes up the stairs and into Jamie's room.

As soon as she opens his door, she sees a dark figure looming over Jamie as he sleeps. She gasps. The dark figure suddenly looks up at the sound.

Brooke falls back against the wall, frightened, when she sees the figure's red, glowing eyes staring back at her. "Get away from him!"

Jamie's eyes slowly open and he sees the dark figure. He screams. Brooke wraps her hand around the handle of the bat she feels next to her. When the figure doesn't budge, she raises the bat and swings at him. It goes flying up against the wall.

Brooke pulls Jamie into her arms, "It's okay, Jamie. Just hold on tight okay?" She runs down the stairs and starts to head back through the kitchen when she's stopped by a man and woman in the doorway.

The man tilts his head slowly to the side, "Where do you think you're going?"

The man and the woman start walking towards Brooke. She slowly backs up, still holding Jamie tightly. The man and woman are joined by another man. Brooke realizes it's the one that was upstairs. She hears the bones in his neck cracking as he moves his neck from side to side, never seeming to faze him. He smiles evilly at Brooke, "They didn't tell me you were a swinger."

Brooke hears Haley screaming from the basement, "Don't touch them! Don't touch my baby!

Jamie's eyes widen in horror, "Mama!"

Brooke lightly pushes Jamie's head back down on her shoulder. Tears start to form in her eyes, "Shh. It's okay, Jamie. Everything is going to be okay."

The woman laughs. Brooke is taken aback by how inhuman the laugh sounds. "Keep telling yourself that, darling."

The man and the woman's eyes both flash to a deep, black color. The third man's eyes flash to the glowing, red again. They move closer to Brooke and Jamie. Brooke feels the wall up against her back. There's nowhere else to go.

She whispers in Jamie's ear, "Close your eyes, Jamie." Jamie shuts his eyes tight. Brooke does the same, tightening her hold on Jamie. It gets darker as the demons' presence close in on them. A single tear falls down Brooke's cheek.

Suddenly, the front door bursts open. Never opening their eyes, Brooke and Jamie can hear a rough scuffling then they jump as they hear three gun shots echo through the air.

"Brooke!"

Brooke's eyes fly open when she hears the familiar voice. She sees Dean and Sam rushing towards her. "Oh my God, Dean!"

Dean touches her face and the back of Jamie's head, looking from Brooke to Jamie urgently, "Are you okay? Are you both okay?" Jamie nods.

Sam rushes off into the kitchen to look for Brooke's friends.

Brooke falls forward into Dean, still holding Jamie. "I'm so sorry, Dean! I'm so sorry I didn't believe you!"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. You're both okay."

Brooke looks directly at Dean, her eyes wide in terror. "They were demons weren't they?"

Dean stares at her and slowly nods.

"Dean! You need to get down here!"

Dean looks towards the kitchen where he heard Sam's voice. Brooke gasps, "Nathan!"

Dean rushes toward the kitchen and down the stairs. He sees Sam knelt down next to Haley, who is crying hysterically as she holds Nathan's head in her lap. Dean moves closer, "Is he alive?"

Sam looks up at Dean, "Barely."

Haley looks at Sam, "Is Jamie okay? Please tell me my baby is okay."

Sam nods and touches her shoulder, "He's fine, Haley. Brooke has him upstairs."

Haley exhales a sigh of relief. She lightly caresses Nathan's face. "Nathan, listen to me. You're not going to die! You hear me?! You're going to be just fine."

Dean and Sam share a look of uncertainty.

*****

Brooke is sitting in a chair in the hospital waiting room, with Jamie's head in her lap. She lightly runs her fingers through his blonde hair, trying to keep him calm as he sleeps. Dean walks up and kneels down in front of her. "Hey. How are you holding up?"

Brooke slowly meets his eyes and shrugs. "I don't really feel anything right now. I'm numb."

Dean nods, "That's understandable."

Brooke stares at Dean, "I can't tell you how sorry I am that I didn't believe you."

Dean shakes his head, "Brooke, you don't owe me an apology. To be honest, I would've thought I was crazy too." He lightly laughs, "Sometimes I think I am."

Brooke mouth slowly curves up into a half-hearted smile.

"You know it's okay to cry."

Brooke shakes her head, "No, I can't do that. I have to remain strong for Haley and Jamie."

Dean watches her a few more seconds then lightly nudges her knee as he gets up. He walks over to Sam, "Brooke's not doing so well."

Sam looks over Dean's shoulder at Brooke and Jamie. "Yeah, I figured as much. What about Jamie?"

Dean sighs," He's only five years old. I'm sure he'll forget about it in time."

Haley slowly walks around the corner, unable to look anyone in the eyes.

Brooke lightly lifts Jamie's head and lays it back down as she gets up to meet Haley. Dean and Sam rush over to her.

Brooke touches Haley's shoulder, "Well? How is he? What did the doctor say?"

"Um…" Haley slowly looks up at Brooke. "He's alive, but he's…he's in a coma."

"Haley…"

"Both of his legs are broken and he has some cracked ribs," Haley stops to try and regain her composure, "The blunt force to his head is causing his brain to b-bruise and swell." She inhales deeply, "They said if he continues to hang on for the next 48 hours, they'll have a better idea if he's going to pull through this or not."

Brooke pulls Haley into her arms and holds her tight. Haley starts sobbing, "I can't lose him, Brooke! I just can't…." After a few more minutes, Haley slowly opens her eyes and sees Jamie asleep in the chair. She slowly pulls away from Brooke and starts wiping her eyes, "I don't know how to tell Jamie."

Brooke looks at Haley, "Jamie is strong. You'll both get through this together."

Haley slowly nods as she stares at Jamie. She looks back at Brooke, "Um, why don't you go home and get some rest? We've all been through a lot tonight. I can't thank you enough for protecting Jamie."

Brooke shakes her head, "I'm not leaving you, Haley."

Haley touches Brooke's shoulder, "Jamie and I will be fine. I promise. You need some rest. You can come back first thing in the morning."

"Haley, I can't…"

Sam steps closer, "I'll stay here with Haley and Jamie." He looks at Brooke, "She's right. You need to get some rest. Dean can take you home."

Brooke looks back at Haley, unsure. Haley rubs Brooke's shoulder, "I promise you, Brooke. If anything changes, I'll call you."

Brooke sighs, giving in. She hugs Haley once more and walks over to kiss Jamie on the cheek.

Dean looks at Sam, "Keep me posted."

Sam nods.

Brooke looks back at Haley one last time then leaves as Dean follows her.

*****

Brooke opens her front door and quickly turns on the light. Dean moves past her, anxiously searching all the rooms before Brooke enters them. She shuts the door and locks it. After a few minutes, Dean returns to the living room.

"All the rooms are clear. But if you don't mind, I'd like to stay here tonight just as a precaution."

Brooke slowly nods. "I have a guest room you can stay in."

Brooke goes into the guest room to set it up. Dean removes his jacket and places it on the back of the couch. He walks over to the fireplace as he notices some pictures on the hearth. He looks at each one closely, trying to imagine what Brooke's past was like.

"The guest room is ready for you."

Dean turns around to face Brooke. "Thank you."

She gives a half smile, but it quickly fades away. "Dean?" She looks nervously down at her feet, "What happened tonight…it…" She sighs and looks back up, "It wasn't coincidental was it?"

Dean stares at Brooke, not expecting that question. He wasn't sure how to answer that, but she deserved to know the truth. He slowly shakes his head.

"And Lucas and Peyton are….they're most likely..."

Dean nods.

"Oh my God…"

Dean steps closer to Brooke, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Brooke is unable to look him in the eyes at first, but she takes in a deep breath and forces a half smile. "I'm just….I think I'm gonna go take a shower. It might do me some good."

Brooke starts to walk down the hallway, but turns back around and looks Dean directly in the eyes, "Thank you."

They stare at each other for a few moments then Brooke breaks the moment and rushes down the hallway. Dean sighs and runs his hand through his hair. Brooke came so close to death that night. If he and Sam had gotten there just a few moments later, she wouldn't be here right now. Dean shudders at the thought.

He looks toward the hallway as he hears the shower turn on. Dean slowly walks down the hallway to the closed door of the bathroom. He leans up against the wall next to the door and slides down to the floor. He didn't want to leave her alone. Anything could happen.

Brooke slowly undresses and steps into the shower. She gasps as the hot water washes over her body. It was definitely what she needed. She presses her right hand up against the wall and hangs her head underneath the showerhead. Her eyes slowly close.

Flashes of the night start coming back to her.

She remembers sitting there laughing and cutting up with Nathan and Haley. Suddenly it flashes to Nathan's mangled body at the bottom of the stairs.

Brooke flinches at the memories.

Brooke running in to Jamie's room. The red, glowing eyes staring back at her. Swinging the bat at the demon. Her and Jamie running into the man and the woman.

Brooke's breathing gets heavier and heavier as the flashes become quicker.

She sees the two men and the woman backing her and Jamie up against the wall. They close in on her. Haley tells Brooke that Nathan is in a coma. She sees Nathan at the bottom of the stairs again….running through the house….the red, glowing eyes…Lucas and Peyton.

"Brooke? Are you okay?"

Brooke hears Dean's muffled voice on the other side of the bathroom door, but she's unable to answer him. She clutches herself as the tears start to come.

A few moments later, she feels a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turns and finds herself enveloped in Dean's arms. She starts sobbing, her tears covering his grey t-shirt.

Dean holds Brooke's head close to his chest, "Shh. It's okay. I'm right here."

Brooke continues to sob uncontrollably. She can't even catch her breath.

Dean pulls her even closer and caresses her wet hair, "Hey. Look at me."

Dean cups Brooke's face in his hands and gently lifts it up to meet his eyes. Droplets of water roll off his now wet hair and eyelashes. Brooke slowly opens her red, swollen eyes, the tears still flowing.

"I'm not going anywhere. You're safe now."

Brooke slowly nods, letting him know that she believed him. That's all he needed. He pulls her back in and holds her close as the hot water washes over both of them.