Max chastised herself for the millionth time that night. She should have known the night was going to go to hell. She had always been cautious for a reason. And this was it. For all her knowledge, for all her abilities, she sucked when it actually came to interacting with people.
"When I woke up, I was totally disorientated. I didn't know when I was or how I had even awaken," she told him. "I wandered around the Chinese countryside for a while, trying to figure it out, but there are parts of China that are still very primitive."
Dean looked at his watch. "Can I get the Cliff"s Notes version? It's almost morning and I haven't slept yet."
Max smiled slightly. He was a bit like a petulant child, demanding and single-minded. She wondered why she had ever changed that one track mind from the night's intended festivities. But here she was, a fighter and not a lover.
"Of course." She obliged him. "I resided in one of the villages for a time. They thought I was good luck because I entered their village on the eighth of the month wearing red. I used my abilities very little, but still word had gotten around regarding my presence and some people came looking for me."
"Some people?" Dean raised a questioning eyebrow.
"It was a coven," Max told him. "They convinced me that I needed to help them repair the world because hunters were destroying it. They told me about Lucifer escaping, the Leviathan, the Darkness."
"But we, hunters, stopped all those and so much more," he wanted to set her straight.
"I know that now," she reassured him. "But then, I was still so angry. Hunters had killed my daughter to get to me and so I was willing to believe anything bad I heard. In my mind, all hunters were depraved animals."
Another crack formed. "Killed your daughter?" The look in Dean's eyes added a stitch to her broken heart.
Max nodded, "But I don't want to talk about Jin Ae right now." She tried to keep the tears from overwhelming her eyes.
Dean couldn't help himself, he placed a comforting hand on hers, which was resting on her knee. Pain and loss Dean knew well, but the loss of a child was something he hoped he'd never have to experience.
Dean blinked and when his eyes re-opened, he was standing in the middle of a village. It was definitely not modern nor was it American. He looked around, not having any idea what just happened. Then he saw her.
Max, dressed in a jeogori and chima, was kneeling and shaking on the ground, holding a dark-haired lifeless child. Blood stained both of them. Max cried out in pain and it ripped through Dean. He felt the anguish, the anger, the heartbreak, the murderous revenge. It was so strong, it brought him to his knees.
When Dean lifted his head, he saw two men walking towards Max and Jin Ae. He wanted to call out to warn her, but no sound came. All he could do was watch.
Each man had a large blade, already stained with blood. With a British accent, one said to the other, "I told you, kill the cub and mama bear will come out of hiding."
At the sound of his voice, Max looked up, her face eerily calm. She gently placed her daughter's still form on the ground and then stood. The men laughed, no doubt because they thought she would be an easy kill.
Max's eyes started glowing a pale indigo as the men advanced towards her, their blades ready for killing. She looked at them, raising her arms and squeezing her hands into fists. The men were lifted from the ground, each clawing as his throat.
"Burn," she hissed and the men caught fire, their screams silent as they had no air.
Dean felt the rage and hatred reflected in Max's actions. He could feel the power coursing through her as well and it seemed…familiar. Then there was a moment of triumph, of satisfaction, but it quickly turned to sorrow and regret. He knew, as she knew, that this wouldn't bring her treasure, her love, Jin Ae back.
Max fell to her knees and once again cradled the body of her dead child. The despair Dean shared with her took his breath away. And he tried, but he couldn't stop the tears that started to stream from his eyes.
"Dean, are you ok?" Max's voice called to him.
He blinked and was once again in her apartment, sitting on the couch. He quickly wiped the tears away from his eyes. "What.." Dean cleared his throat, trying to steady his voice. "What just happened?"
Max's eyes were wide. "I don't know. You touched me and then a second later, you're crying. Do you hate me that much?"
Dean shook his head. "I…" he let out a sigh. "I saw your daughter's death. Experienced it. I am so sorry."
She nodded her thanks for his sympathy, knowing her voice wouldn't work. They sat there for a few moments in silence, while they both collected themselves.