"Bobby, what is it?"
"Sam, has he been sleeping the whole time?"
"What? No, he was just awake but then I went to get him a coke and the claw seemed to grab him again and that thing started screaming…" Sam nodded towards the creature.
Bobby sighed. Briefly lifting his greasy, well-worn cap, he ran a hand through his thinning hair before tugging the cap back down low over his deeply lined forehead.
"Okay Sam. Do you remember what I said about manifesting?"
"Yeah." Sam was distracted and slightly panicked. He hoped Bobby had an answer – a cure – something to fix this.
Bobby sat down on Sam's bed. Looking across at Dean, he couldn't miss his ashen complexion. How much longer did Dean have? Two claws had shrivelled and he knew it was just a matter of time before the rest followed. Ordinarily that would be a good thing.
The continuing silence unnerved Sam.
"Bobby, could you please say something?"
"Sam, that creature over there is a manifestation of Dean's psyche."
"What? That thing? But how? Why?" Sam stole a very quick glance at the repulsive thing and turned away again just as swiftly. How could that have anything to do with his brother?
"Dean has created this himself."
"I get that Bobby, but what do we do about it? If we don't do something soon, he's going to die isn't he?"
"Well, yeah he is - and there'll be that other problem too."
"God! What will happen to that thing Bobby?"
"I don't know exactly Sam. I never saw one grow to full maturity before."
"So you know how to stop it then?" Sam turned hopeful eyes on his friend.
Bobby shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He really didn't want to tell Sam the truth, but looking at Dean's frail form and hearing the desperation in Sam's voice, he didn't really have a choice, did he?
"No Son, I only saw this one time before, and your father killed the thing…. and the guy who manifested it."
"What?"
"Look Sam, he didn't know what he was doing. Neither of us had seen anything like it before. You said yourself you wanted to kill this one! "
"Dad killed an innocent person? I can't believe this! After all the lectures about research and preparation and saving people…"
"Aw come on Sam. He had no way of knowing what would happen. Don't be too hard on your dad." Bobby got up off the bed and tried to put a hand on Sam's shoulder but Sam shrugged him off.
"Don't you defend him Bobby! I know he was your friend but you don't know what it was like growing up with him!" Sam's face was flushed with anger.
"Sammy." The barely whispered word immediately caught their attention and both moved to the bedside.
"Dean! Can you hear me?" Sam grabbed Dean's arm.
"Dean, it's Bobby. How about waking up and sayin' hi to me?"
For a brief moment it looked like Dean might open his eyes. Then it became clear he was back, deeply asleep, and dreaming.
"What happened Bobby? Why did he call my name?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was just something happening in his dream."
Bobby examined the claw. A third finger was visibly shrinking right in front of his eyes, and retracting out of Dean's stomach.
"God dammit!"
"Bobby, what the hell are we going to do about this?"
"There's gotta be somethin that you want for yourself?"
"Yeah, I want you to leave the second this thing is over Sam!"
"Dude! What's your problem?"
"Ha. Why'dya think I drag you everywhere? Huh? Why d'ya think I came and got ya at Stanford in the first place.."
"Cos Dad was in trouble. Cos you wanted to find the thing that killed mom."
"Yes – that! But it's more than that man! You and me, and Dad. I want us to… to be together again. Want us to be a family again."
"Dean! We are a family! I'd do anything for you, but things will never be the way they were before."
"Could be."
"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way."
Dean swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Nothing was going to get his family together again. No matter how hard he tried, how many evil things he killed or people he saved, he couldn't fix this. He couldn't have this one thing for himself.
Sam and Bobby watched in fascinated horror as the third finger shrivelled and fully retracted. The wound healed instantly. Dean's skin was now so transparent they could see his veins through it.
"Jesus Christ!"
Sam was startled by Bobby's outburst.
"What?"
"I just… I know you said this was happening… crap, I've seen some weird shit in my time, but…"
"But what?
"I don't know what we can do Sam."
"Bobby, he's going to die!"
"I know that Sammy! Christ d'ya think I don't know that?" Bobby instantly regretted flaring up when he saw Sam's grief-stricken face.
"God! What the fuck are we gonna do?"
Bobby's heart bled for the young man. He'd seen these two boys grow up and loved them like they were his own.
"Sam, could you get us some coffee maybe?"
"But…"
"Don't worry; I'll stay right by him Sam.
"What if he goes while I'm gone? I can't leave Bobby."
"He won't! Sam, please, just get us some coffee so we can think this thing through, okay?"
Sam glared defiantly at him, but eventually he left.
Bobby took a moment to breathe. Dean was dying right in front of him. The creature was growing - developing. What was Dean dreaming about? What was that thing going to turn into? Looking at it, he noticed it had changed even since he had arrived. Not only was it growing in size, but it was changing shape. It looked like a …well like a baby. A baby with dark, mottled green skin...
He wasn't going to kill a baby, however odd it looked, but that thing was killing Dean.
That thing was becoming Dean.