Chapter Nine

Lola dug her hands up in her hair and let out a long and soothing sigh,

"We need to find him. He's not likely to run off by himself." She said rationally,

"Let's head back upstairs and search the rooms." Sam said. Maggie nodded in agreement,

"Let's split up and shout if you see anything."

"Right." Sam and Lola agreed as the trio headed up the stairs quickly. They each took a room before moving onto another and then another, working their way up to the fourth floor.

Lola made her way to the far end of the building, pushing open a large set of doors that led to a lecture theatre. She stopped suddenly as above the stage was five figures, nooses around their necks, their feet resting a top of a long table that stretched across the stage, though this wasn't the most startling thing.

The thing that scared Lola was that at the far right hand side of the line up was Dean, his hands bound tightly behind his back,

"Dean!" Lola cried, before screaming out for Sam and Maggie. Lola raced through the rows of seats to the front. As she approached, she felt a cold chill and a breeze whip past her. She glanced over her shoulder quickly to look for Maggie and Sam and when she turned around, she came face to face with that of the pale, grey nun, a sore-looking red rope mark around her neck, a thin trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Lola gasped, stumbling backwards slightly as Maggie and Sam burst into the theatre.

The nun kept her cold grey eyes fixed on Lola's face as she waved her arm, the table sliding backwards on the stage, causing the five men to drop suddenly,

"DEAN!" All three screamed in unison as they were forced to watch Dean dangle before their eyes, struggling for breath. Lola jumped up on the stage, not really knowing what to do. She lunged forwards, grabbing his legs and attempting desperately to lift him up. She wrapped her arms around his legs and pushed upwards, squeezing her eyes closed from the strain of his weight on her frame and from the sound of him choking for breath. Sam and Maggie ran up on stage also, Sam puling a knife out from his boot to cut Dean down with, only to be knocked back by the nun. Another wave of her arm and Sam shot across the lecture theatre and against a wall, slumping to the floor with a groan,

"Maggie…" Lola croaked, "He's too heavy…we have to get them down…"

"The…others…" He choked, "Save the others."

Maggie looked around in a panic before spying Dean's shotgun lying forgotten on the floor. She ran to it as the spirit approached Lola, her hands outstretched for the girl's neck as she stumbled under Dean's weight. Aiming the shotgun at the spirit, she fired off a round of rock salt, causing the spirit to disperse. As she disappeared, the five nooses too disappeared, dropping their victims to the floor with a sickening thud. Lola ended up squashed beneath the eldest Winchester as he fell. She scrambled to her knees and touched his face,

"He's not breathing…" She said as she leant her ear to his mouth. Maggie moved towards Dean and Lola on the floor before noticing a familiar face at the opposite end to her brother,

"Matt…" She whispered, dropping to her knees and moving him onto his back, "Matt…it's Maggie…wake up…" She said softly, gently shaking him. She felt for a pulse and listened for his steady breathing, "Okay Lola…" Maggie began sternly, "Copy what I do…right…squeeze Dean's nose, take in a breath and perform C.P.R. Do it twice." Maggie instructed. Lola nodded, doing as she was told, copying Maggie, "Now pump on his chest thirty times."

Lola did as she was told, but to no avail. She started again as hot tears fell from her jaw and onto Dean's motionless face,

"Dean please…" She whimpered as she began compression again. With a cough and a splutter he took in a wheezing breath. Lola eased him to sit up, resting his head against her chest as she wrapped her arms loosely around his shoulders, "Thank God…" She whispered as he began to breath normally. Lola looked over at Maggie who was still trying to resuscitate Matt. Just as Lola was about to move to her friend's side and comfort her when Matt began spluttering for breath. Lola let out a sigh of relief as Sam staggered up beside her, rubbing at his head. He looked at the remaining three, who'd never had a chance and sighed, dropping down beside his brother,

"You okay?"

"You should've helped them." Dean said, looking up at Lola sadly, "You should've left me."

Lola shook her head,

"I could never of lived with myself if I'd watched you die."

"Now their bloods on our hands. You could've done something. I was so stupid to wander off."

Matt gasped for breath, looking up at Maggie as he did. She soothingly stroked his face as his breathing evened out until he could speak,

"I take it…this is why you're here…" He wheezed, sitting up and looking at her as he rubbed at his neck, "You saved my life."

"You need to get out of here. It's not safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I've got my brothers looking out for me." She said with a weak smile, "Just keep yourself safe."

"I've really missed you, Maggie." He said honestly, "I don't want to lose you again." He added,

"I hate to interrupt…" Sam began as he approached, one of Dean's arms draped around his shoulders, "we need to get Dean out of here and re-think this."

Maggie nodded,

"Come on…" She said, helping Matt to his feet,

"So is this what you've been doing?" Matt asked,

"Uhm…yeah…sort of…"

"…" Matt didn't know what to say as she helped him down the stairs, "Not your usual nine to five then." He joked, "I guess it brings a whole new meaning to family business."

"You have no idea…" Maggie murmured,

"Perhaps I could help? I know my way around the school better than you two could. From what I understand, you spent most of your time avoiding the nerds and she was in detention more than class." He said, pointing to Lola, "I could help."

"No." Maggie said with a firm shake of her head, "It's too dangerous."

"Now you really do sound like Dean." Lola muttered, "We could use the help, Maggie."

"Lola's right…how are we supposed to get in the school after dark?" Sam asked, "Security will be strict."

"Your brother has a point." Matt said, "It will be nearly impossible for you four to get in after school hours. You need my help."

"Okay…fine…" Maggie sighed in defeat.

Sam shut his door and looked over to his brother who was rubbing at his neck soothingly,

"You okay, man?"

"How can I be? Three people died tonight because of me."

"They didn't die because of you." Maggie reassured,

"If Lola hadn't of wasted her time on me, she could've helped someone else. She should have just left me."

"I was not going to leave you hanging there, Dean." She snapped, "And besides, blue is SO not your colour!"

"Okay…I want to talk to you. Right now." He said sternly before looking at Sam expectantly. Sam took the hint and gently took Maggie's arm,

"I think we should head inside."

"Yeah." Maggie agreed as the two headed for the motel room.

Lola leant back against bonnet of the Impala, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at him, waiting for him to begin,

"Well?" She asked impatiently,

"Why're you acting like this? Since you've come back, it seems like you can't be serious about anything! The old Lola took hunting seriously. It was her job. Her life. Why the hell are you behaving like some brain dead moron?"

"I'm happy to be back. That's all."

"Who're you trying to convince? Me or you?"

Lola sighed heavily, toying with her fingers as she stared at the ground,

"Listen Dean…I'm behaving the way I am because I need to convince myself that everything's okay because if I let myself get serious for five minutes, I remember everything…how I really am all alone now and how I can never go back to having a normal life. Ever again. All hope of seeing my friends or my brother again is lost. I might as well be dead."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I brought you back…I was just thinking about myself, huh?"

"You meant well…I just…I need time to sort my head out, alright? I promise I'll try harder to be the old Lola so long as you make a promise to me."

"What's that?"

"This whole…year to live thing…"

"Hmmm…"
"Don't give in to it." She said gently, "You brought me back and I am sure as hell not going to watch you die." She said sternly, "We'll figure a way out of it. I promise you that. I'll stop at nothing."

Dean smiled weakly, taking a step closer and placing a hand on her cheek,

"Thank you." He said honestly,

"No problem." She answered with a grin, "Shall we head back inside."

"Nah…let's stay out here for awhile…" He said with a shrug.