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Faith
Dean slowed as we approached the abandoned, decrepit house. Looking at it now, the moonlight casting a ghostly glow over the wooden structure, it gave me the chills. Dean parked and opened the trunk as Sam and I followed him to the back of the Impala. A shiver ran through me as I glanced wearily at the house again.
"What do you got those hooked up to?" Sam questioned as Dean pulled out the stun guns from the bottom compartment of the trunk.
"Hundred thousand volts," I answered for him as he handed me one of the guns and then Sam the other, keeping one for himself.
"Damn," Sam muttered, impressed and surprised.
"Yeah, we want this raw head extra friggin' crispy," I grinned at Dean's words as I checked the gun to make sure it was functional.
"Remember, you only get one shot at this thing, so don't miss," I reminded them with a slight grin as I slammed the trunk shut. Dean handed Sam and I flashlights, and we entered the creepy house. Dean and Sam were at the front, and I was facing backwards, covering behind us. We went down the stairs cautiously in the dim light. The small, young voices reached me as I stepped away from the stairs. "Dean," I hissed, jerking my head at the decaying, wooden closet. I walked toward it cautiously as Sam and Dean covered me. I definitely heard scared breathing from inside, but I wasn't sure if anything was in there with them.
"On three," Dean whispered, and I nodded, holding my gun steadily aimed at the doors.
"One, two, three," I moved quickly, whipping the doors open with a hand that quickly returned to the gun. Two children cried out as the doors opened, and they covered their heads in terror, looking up at us.
"Is it still here?" Sam questioned them, and they nodded, still terrified. I grabbed the girl's hand and helped her out of the closet as Dean got the boy.
"Grab your sisters hand. Come on, we're going to get you out of here," Dean instructed them, and they obeyed instantly. Dean and I covered their retreat up the stairs as Sam followed them, making sure they were alright. They were halfway up the stairs when Sam let out a yelp, and I could see a grimy, bony hand grasping his ankle tightly.
"Sam!" I yelled his name as he tumbled back down the stairs. I aimed my gun at the thing, but Dean fired before I could. He missed, and the thing roared in angry protest at being shot at.
"Sam, Mel, get them out of here," Dean ordered, and I gripped Sam's arm, yanking him to his feet. The thing appeared in front of us, growling and furious, and I shot at it without a thought. It disappeared before it could get shocked out of existence.
"Take this," Sam tossed Dean his gun before we hurried up the stairs after the children. I froze at the top of the stairs, and Sam glanced back at me questioningly. "Come on,"
"I'm going to cover Dean. You take them to the car then come back," I was sprinting back down the stairs before Sam could utter a word of protest. I heard a thud of contact and then Dean's groan. I ran to where he was lying in a couple inches of water, and grabbed his arm, helping him up. He opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by a roar. I spun around to see the beast was walking towards us with heavy steps. I turned back to see Dean scrambling to pick up the gun. That's when I realized we were standing in at least five inches of water. So was the creature.
"Dean, no!" I yelled, but it was too late. He fired, and I hurled myself at him, shoving him into the hallway and out of the water. The next second blinding, white hot pain pulsed through me, and I screamed.
-3rd person-
"Uh, sir, I'm so sorry to ask. There doesn't seem to be any insurance on file," The nurse smiled kindly at Sam, who just stared at her for a moment before blinking back into reality.
"Right, um, okay," He handed the nurse one of the three cards he kept in his wallet, not really caring which. He glanced back down the hall in worry before looking back to the woman.
"Okay, Mr. Berkovitz," She stumbled over the name, and Sam gave her a tight smile, taking back the card. He shoved his hands in his pocket as he walked towards the two police officers that were waiting for him to finish.
"Hey, we can finish this up later," One officer offered, and Sam was tempted for a moment.
"No, it's okay. We were just taking a shortcut through the neighborhood, and, um, our windows were rolled down, and we heard some screaming when we drove past the house. And we stopped - ran in," He finished with a shrug and another glance back down the hallway.
"And you found the kids in the basement?" The cop prompted.
"Yeah," Sam agreed.
"Well thank god you did," The cop smiled again, and a door opened loudly down the hallway. One glance told him it was Mel's room. "Excuse me," He turned away from them before he could hear their response. The doctors approached him, clipboard in hand, and Dean stood from where he'd been waiting restlessly in a chair outside her room for the past hour. Sam had volunteered to give the nurse the information and talk to the cops, for he knew that in the state he was in, Dean would probably end up getting himself arrested.
"What happened? How is she?" Dean's questions were rushed.
"She's resting," He told the boys, and there was a moment of tense silence.
"And?" Sam prompted finally, neither of the boys wanting to know what came next.
"And the electrocution triggered a heart attack. Pretty massive, I'm afraid. Her heart… it's damaged," The doctor explained hesitantly.
"How damaged?" Dean asked hoarsely before clearing his throat.
"We can try to keep her comfortable at this point, but I give her a couple of weeks at most, maybe a month," Dean's heart stopped at those words.
"No, no there's got to be something you can do, some kind of treatment," Sam practically begged the man, who just shook his head sadly.
"We can't work miracles. I really am sorry," Dean pushed past him and into the room, ignoring his empathy. Mel was laying on the bed, flicking through the channels on the crappy TV. She didn't look up as Dean and Sam came in. Dean was struck by how sick she looked. She'd gotten three shades paler, and her eyes were half lidded and rimmed with red.
"I don't know why they even bother," She spoke up as Dean sat beside her bed, taking her hand. "Daytime TV is terrible," She glanced up at Dean, who managed a small smile.
"We talked to your doctor," Sam told her, his voice gruff with emotion. She turned to face Dean, and his look of pain and fear was more than she could take. She turned back to the TV.
"You know, that teddy softener bear, we should hunt that little bitch down," She completely ignored Sam's try at a conversation.
"Mel," Dean said softly, and she sighed, resigned.
"Yeah," He took the remote from her hand and shut off the TV. "Okay, looks like you two will have to manage without me," She knew they'd protest, and she also knew that they couldn't afford to stay in the town much longer. Too many questions might be raised. "You should skip town pretty soon,"
"What're you talking about. We're not going to leave you," Dean told her as if the idea were utterly ridiculous.
"Hey, when you find John tell him goodbye for me," She looked into Dean's eyes as I spoke.
"Stop talking like you're already dead," Dean snapped gruffly.
"Aren't I?" She returned, still holding his gaze. "Look, it's a dangerous game. Hunters die all the time. I just drew the short straw,"
"Stop talking like that," Dean snapped, getting angry.
"He's right," She moved her gaze to Sam's fearful eyes. "We still have options,"
"What options? Burial or cremation?" She asked morosely before sighing heavily and gazing at them both bravely. "I know that it'll be hard, but I'm going to die and neither of you can stop it,"
"Watch us," Dean's eyes hardened with resolve as he stood, and Mel watched Sam and Dean exit, leaving her alone.
-SPN-
Dean jerked awake, breathing hard and glanced at the clock. He'd been asleep for two hours. His eyes scanned the room, focusing on Sam who was bent over his laptop, studying something intently.
"Why'd you let me fall asleep?" He snapped at his younger brother, who glanced up at him briefly before going back to the article.
"You needed it, Dean. You being exhausted isn't going to fix Mel," Dean glared at him harshly, a glare which Sam ignored.
"Neither is me sleeping." Dean forced himself to calm down. "Find anything?" Sam glanced up again before slamming the laptop shut and throwing it on the bed.
"No," He put his head in his hands and sighed defeatedly.
"Hey, we're going to find something. We just gotta keep looking," Dean tried to be optimistic, but it had been two days, and they still had nothing to show for it.
"And what if we don't?" Sam exploded, his head snapping up to look at Dean. "What if there's nothing to find? What if she dies, Dean-"
"Shut up," Dean cut him off, terror and worry converting to anger.
"Dean-" Sam started.
"She's not dying for me!" Sam stopped short at his words, having never gotten the full story.
"What?" Was all he could muster.
"It was my fault," Dean put his head in his hands, all the fight suddenly drained out of him. "I was standing in the water when I shot the thing. She pushed me out of the way,"
"It's not your fault," Sam tried, but he knew his brother wouldn't listen.
"It is," He insisted, "If she dies because of me…" Sam couldn't imagine Mel dying. He couldn't imagine Dean if Mel died. Sam's whole world would fall apart. Mel had to live. She just had to.
"We'll save her, then. There has to be something, right? You said so yourself, we'll just keep looking," Sam spoke optimistically, not able to see Dean berate himself any longer.
A day later they still had jack. Sam was on the phone calling John, having exhausted every other option available. Dean was sitting on a chair with stacks of books surrounding him, and he was flipping impatiently through another one. He threw the book on the scattered pile on the floor and grabbed another one from the stack while Sam listened to John's painfully long answering machine.
"Hey, Dad, it's Sam. Probably won't even get these, but, uh, it's Mel," He breathed out, trying to keep his voice under control. "She's sick, and, uh," Another long breath, "Doctors say there's nothing they can do," His voice cracked slightly, and he squeezed his eyes shut, taking another deep breath. "Uh, but, uh, they don't know the things we do, right? Um, so don't worry cause, uh, cause Dean and I, we're gonna do whatever it takes to get her better, alright? Just wanted you to know," He hung up, throwing the phone onto the bed angrily, and there was a knock at the door.
-1st person-
I flipped through the channels blankly, not registering anything that was happening on the small glowing screen. It had been three days since Sam and Dean had visited, and I had grown more and more worried about them. A part of me hoped they were looking for a way to fix me. Another part of me was hoping they'd jumped town, even though I knew they hadn't. Tears sprung to my eyes as I thought about leaving them. I loved both of them so damn much. Not in the same way but still. They were my family. What would happen to them if I was gone? What would happen to Dean?
I'd gone over what I'd say to them a million times in my head before they walked through the door. They couldn't stop it. I was going to die. The funny thing was, I wasn't that scared. I really wasn't. All I was scared about was that Sam and Dean would be okay. I hoped with all my heart (whatever was left of it) that they'd move on. I hoped they'd find John. I was never going to see him again. He was my dad, and I'd never see him again.
I was done. A new determination surged through me, and I sat up, ignoring the pain. I was done. I couldn't do sit here anymore. I wouldn't spend my last days in bed with a bunch of nurses bustling around trying to keep me comfortable. I was done. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, leaning heavily on the bed frame to keep me upright.
"Miss, you can't do that," I held out a hand to stop the nurses rant.
"Listen, Amelia, right?" I questioned, and she nodded mutely. "I'm going to die anyway, right? So, just please, can you get me my clothes. Please," I looked her in the eye as I appealed to her humanity. Finally, she nodded, turned and hurried away. She came back a moment later with my white tank top, skinny jeans, and dark green jacket. Putting them on was a painful process, but I managed with difficulty.
Twenty minutes later, my cab was pulling up in front of the Wayside Motel. I paid the driver with the money I had found in my pocket and stepped out of the cab, nearly collapsing in pain the second I was on my feet. With a strangled groan, I managed to stay upright and keep moving. Room 210. More than once I had to lean against the wall to catch my breath before starting again. After what seemed like decades but was only a couple of minutes, I reached the room and knocked on the door, leaning on the doorframe as I waited.
"Mel?" Sam answered, and I gave him a weak smile. It was good to see him.
"What're you doing here? You should be in the hospital," Dean came up beside Sam, and my smile turned into a grimace of pain as I began to move again.
"I decided to check myself out early," Dean slipped an arm around my waist, and I leaned on him gratefully. "I'm not going to die in a hospital that doesn't even have decent TV," Sam shut the door behind me with a slightly pissed expression.
"You know, this whole 'I laugh in the face of death' thing is crap. We can see right through it," Dean helped me to the bed, and I sat down heavily, breathing hard and still leaning on Dean's shoulder as he sat next to me.
"Yeah, okay, Sammy," I looked up at Dean, and my next words died on my lips. He looked horrible. They both did. There were bags under Dean's eyes, and he'd grown paler in the past few days. "Have you two even slept? You look almost as bad as me,"
"I've been scouring the internet for days, and Dean's been going through every book we could get our hands on," Sam informed me, and my eyes widened in mock surprise.
"Dean? Reading?" I joked, looking at him with a smile, which he returned, but I could tell it was forced. He studied my face intently like he had to memorizing every feature. His arm that was usually loosely wrapped around my waist was now tight and possessive like I could disappear in a moment without warning.
"Yeah, we called every contact in Dad's journal," Dean added, glancing at Sam before back at me.
"What's the point?" I asked dejectedly.
"The point is to help you," Dean frowned, and I sighed heavily. That's when the phone rang loudly from the nightstand, and I glanced at Sam.
"You gonna get that?" Sam answered it, pressing it to his ear.
"Hello?" The hearing that usually came so easy to me was now a strain.
Sam, it's Max. I almost laughed at the irony of it, and turned to look questioningly at Dean.
"You called Maxwell?" I asked in an incredulous whisper. His mouth opened and closed a few times before glancing to where Sam was talking into his phone.
"You were in trouble," He responded simply. No smartass, no quip, no joke, just a simple answer. Before I could answer, Sam came back, looking excited and hopeful.
"Max found something. Told me about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist," Sam explained, sitting across from us on a chair.
"You two are really not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" I asked, false annoyance in my voice.
"We're not gonna let you die at all," Dean informed me, and I smiled at the two of them as I leaned my head on Dean's shoulder.
It was a two days drive to Nebraska, and we made it in a day and a half with Sam and Dean alternating driving. I rode in the passengers seat. I guess dying does have it's perks. Dean actually rode in the back, which I'd only see him do a handful of times before. All of them dire situations. When we arrived, it was raining and muddy. Out the window, I could see people with all different types of disabilities struggling to get to the white tent. Sam parked, and I pushed the door open, looking at the sign that was mounted in front of the tent. Roy Le Grange: Faith Healer. I frowned at the sign.
"Faith healer? I thought you said specialist, as in doctor," I asked Sam as I stood, nearly falling over. Dean wrapped a supportive arm around my waist, and I leaned on him, panting slightly.
"No, I believe I just said specialist. Look, Mel, this guy's supposed to be the real deal," Sam tried to convince me, but I just rolled my eyes.
"Sam, after all we've seen, how could you bring me to a faith healer?" I glanced at Sam and even that was an effort.
"Roy le Grange is a great man," A woman told us while walking by.
"Well, isn't that nice, remind me to send him a christmas card," I quipped sarcastically.
"I have the right to protest! This man is a fraud! He's cheating all these people out of their hard earned money!" A man was protesting to the cop, who was glaring at him. Dean guided me away from the man as the police man ushered the protester away.
"I guess he's not part of the flock," I tore my gaze from the protestor to look Dean as he spoke. He was skeptical too.
"Well, when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy," Sam explained, and I rolled my eyes.
"But come on, a faith healer? Really?" I asked incredulously.
"Well, try having a little faith, Mel," Dean told me, and I smiled slightly.
"I have faith," I argued, "I have faith in my eyes. Seeing is believing, right?"
"How can you be a skeptic with the things we see every day?" Sam questioned disbelievingly.
"Yeah, we see them," I pointed out, glancing at Dean, who was looking distrustingly at the white tent.
"Well, we see evil out there, maybe goods out there too," Dean offered, and I sighed, shaking my head.
"We've seen what evil does to good people," I replied, an onslaught of memories accompanying my words.
"Maybe God works in mysterious ways," A new, female voice entered our conversation. We turned to face the blonde who'd said the words.
"Yeah, maybe," I answered, still disbelieving. I shook her hand as I introduced us. "I'm Mel, this is Dean and Sam," Dean smiled, awkwardly shaking her hand with his left while the other one was wrapped tightly around my waist.
"I'm Layla," She smiled at me, and somehow I knew that she wasn't here for a family member. She was sick. "So if you're not a believer, why are you here?"
"Well, I guess Sammy believes enough for the both of us," I responded fondly, glancing at Sam.
"Layla, it's started," Another blonde woman, who I instantly knew was her mother, came up beside her, smiling tightly at us. I hesitated as Dean and Sam started towards the tent but paused when I didn't move.
"Come on," I swallowed hard as a cold feeling ran through my veins. I leaned on Dean as I walked in after Sam.
"Well, peace and trust all over," Dean muttered, and I followed his gaze to the cameras in the corners. I moved to take a seat, and Dean pulled me back, shaking his head. "We're sitting up front,"
"What? Why?" I questioned as I was pulled by both brothers to the front of the room near the stage.
"You alright?" Dean asked, and I nodded as I was ushered into a seat at the end of the second row. A man with dark glasses was guided to the front of the stage. He was blind. "You sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, Dean," I told him but smiled slightly at his concern.
"Each morning my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" His question was followed by a chorus of 'no's from the crowd. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act," I shifted uncomfortably as a slight pang went through my chest. "God is watching. God rewards the good, and he punishes the corrupt," I rolled my eyes at the murmur of agreement. "It is the Lord who does the healing here, my friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by letting me see into their hearts,"
"Yeah, or into their bank accounts," I muttered to Dean and Sam.
"You think so, young lady," I opened my mouth and closed it again, stunned that he heard me.
"No, sorry," I apologized, embarrassed and glancing around at the crowd that was staring at me.
"No, no, don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man. We got real sharp ears," Laughter rippled through the crowd, and I smiled slightly at his good nature. Maybe he wasn't so bad then. "What's your name, hun?" He asked me.
"Melody," I answered him, a bad feeling coming over me.
"I want you to come up here with me," The crowd began cheering, but that feeling held me glued to my seat. I glanced at Sam and Dean, who were smiling in relief.
"Uh, no, no it's okay," I stammered, waving my hand for him to pick something else.
"What, are you crazy?" Dean hissed.
"You've come here to be healed, haven't you?" I shifted again, glancing at Dean's confused face.
"Um, yeah, but, I just think you should pick someone else," I called above the noise, avoiding the stares of everyone in the room including Sam and Dean.
"Mel, what're you doing?" Sam whispered, anger lining his words.
"What the hell? He picked you," My eyes flicked to theirs briefly as the bad feeling churned in my stomach. Something was off about this whole 'healing' thing.
"I didn't pick you, Melody, the Lord did," Roy told me kindly, and I knew he wouldn't give it up.
"Mel, please," I met Dean's eyes, and I couldn't say no. I turned to the crowd as I rose and offered them a tight smile before making my way slowly to the stage.
"You ready?" Roy asked me as I stood next to him.
"Um, yeah, I guess, I'm not exactly your typical believer," I informed him, my discomfort growing along with the bad feeling that something abnormal was about to happen.
"You will be, hun. You will be," He assured me before turning to face the crowd with a big smile. "Pray with me, friends," My eyes found Dean's in the crowd, and I held them, suppressing every instinct to run as Roy's hand rested on my shoulder and then moved to my head. A funny feeling shot through me, and I frowned, keeping my eyes on Dean's green ones. The world began slipping in and out of focus, and I distantly saw Dean start to rise only to be pulled back by Sam. My knees hit the floor as all the strength seeped out of me and into Roy's hand. The world faded into momentary darkness.
"Mel! Come on, baby," I gasped awake, my eyes landing on Roy and then widening as I took in the ghostly shape behind him. "Mel?" My wide eyes snapped to Dean, who was holding me in his arms.
"Yeah, yeah," I calmed myself down with deep breaths.
"You feel alright?" Hope lined his voice, and I met his worried forest green eyes.
"Yeah," I smiled, realizing I did feel better then I had in the past four days. "Yeah, I'm okay,"
"Okay, come on," I stood, smiling at how little effort it took. A few seconds ago I'd been dying, and now I was fine. I had only been standing a second before Dean's lips crashed down on mine, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist and pressing me to him. It wasn't until that moment that I'd realized how terrified of loosing me Dean had actually been. My arms encircled his neck as he kissed me desperately, and we stumbled backward a few steps. I pulled away gently, knowing this probably wasn't the best place. It wasn't till I pulled away that I realized that the tent had been cheering while we'd been kissing.
"Let's get out of here?" I questioned, glancing uneasily at the crowd.
"Yep," Dean answered, equally uncomfortable. "Sam…" He trailed off as we glanced around to realize Sam wasn't there anymore. He'd probably gone back to the car. I took Dean's hand, leading him out of the tent and back to the car that Sam was leaning on, waiting for us. Sam hugged me tightly when we'd reached him, but I couldn't help thinking back to the man behind Roy. The one that had disappeared.
-SPN-
"So, you sure you feel fine?" Dean questioned for the tenth time as I sat in the chair the doctor had examined me in.
"Yeah," I answered distractedly, still remembering the man I'd seen. He'd been in a suit with a matching black hat, and his skin was a sickly grayish hue.
"Well," The doctor came back in, making me snap out of my memory. "According to your tests, there's nothing wrong with your heart - no sign there ever was. Not that a woman your age should be having heart trouble," She hurried on as my eyes widened. "Still strange, it does happen,"
"Why strange?" I wondered, and she crossed her arms, thinking.
"Well, just yesterday a young guy, about the same age as you, 27, athletic, out of nowhere - heart attack," I felt a cold chill pass through me, and I swallowed hard.
"Thanks, doctor," Was all I could manage, and she gave me a smile before leaving the room.
"Strike you as odd?" I asked, glancing at the two boys.
"Could be a coincidence?" Dean suggested.
"Yeah, people's hearts give out all the time, Mel," I shook my head, knowing Sam's words were empty.
"Yeah at 27?" I questioned skeptically.
"Damn, Mel, why can't we just be grateful and move on?" Dean asked, annoyed.
"Because something's wrong, Dean! I can feel it," I sighed before standing and pulling on my jacket. "When I was healed I felt… weird, cold. When I woke up I saw this… man - standing behind Roy. I think it was a spirit,"
"But if there was something, I think I would've seen it too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately," Sam pointed out, and I glanced at Dean pleadingly.
"Well, maybe you should have a little faith there, Sammy. You're not the only one with abilities, and I've been hunting long enough to know when something is wrong,"
"Yeah, alright," Dean decided with a note of finality in his voice before he turned to Sam. "You check out the heart attack guy. We'll go visit the reverend,"
The drive over only took thirty minutes, and Roy and his wife, Sue Ann, where extremely nice to us. Sue Ann led us into the living room and poured us some ice tea into tall glasses.
"I feel wonderful," I told them, smiling. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around what happened,"
"A miracle's what happened," Sue Ann said, sitting on the couch. "But miracles come so often around Roy,"
"When did they start - the miracles?" Dean asked from beside me.
"I woke up one morning stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer - told me I had maybe a month. So we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but, you know, I kept telling Sue Ann you just keep right on praying. I went into a coma, doctor's said I wouldn't wake up, but I did, and the cancer was gone. If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I ever had it," Roy explained to us, taking off his dark glasses.
"And suddenly you could heal people?" Dean questioned.
"I discovered the healing afterward, yeah. God's blessed me in many ways," Roy told us, putting back on his dark glasses.
"And this is just the beginning," Sue Ann sounded proud as she spoke about her husband.
"I'd like to ask you one last question, if that's alright," Roy nodded kindly for me to go ahead. "Why me? There were all those people, but you chose me,"
"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest,"
"What did you see? When you looked into my heart?" I asked hesitantly, not quite sure I wanted to know the answer.
"A young woman with an important purpose, a job to do, and it isn't finished," I swallowed hard at that, feeling the truth of it like a weight on my chest.
"Well, we'd better get going," Dean stood, and we thanked them for their time before walking out the door. On our way down the porch steps we passed Layla, who smiled at us.
"Mel, Dean, hey," She greeted us. "How're you feeling?"
"I feel good, great, actually," I answered, glancing back at the house. "So, what're you doing here?"
"My mom," She nodded at her mom coming up the stairs. "She wanted to talk to the reverend,"
"Layla," Sue Ann greeted the young lady, and Layla smiled, ascending the rest of the steps to stand in front of her.
"Yes, I'm here again," She's been here before.
"I'm sorry, but Roy's resting. He won't be seeing anyone else right now," Sue Ann told them apologetically.
"Sue Ann, please. This is our sixth time. He's got to see us," My heart broke a little bit for the family as Dean and I watched them.
"Roy's well aware of Layla's situation, and he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke," I raised an eyebrow skeptically at her comment. She patted Layla's shoulder before turning and going back inside the house. Mrs. Rourke turned to face Dean and I with an expression I'd seen all too many times before. She was sad and frustrated and scared, and she was converting all of that into anger.
"Why are you still even here," She asked me sharply. "You got what you wanted,"
"Mom, stop," Layla protested softly.
"No, Layla, this is too much," She spoke gently to her daughter before turning back to me, her voice hardening. "We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these stranger's over you - strangers that don't even believe," She spit the last word at me like it was poison. "I just can't pray any harder,"
"Layla, what's wrong?" I questioned, turning my gaze on her.
"I just… I have this thing," She stammered, shaking her head like it was nothing.
"It's a brain tumor," Mrs. Rourke came to stand in front of her daughter, and my eyes widened. "It's inoperable. In six months the doctors say…" Layla put a hand on her shoulder, and she trailed off brokenly.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
"It's okay," Layla still tried to play it off.
"No, it isn't," Her mom denied, turning a glare on me again. "Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter," I took an involuntary step back as her words cut deep. Dean's arm tightened around my waist, and I didn't have to look to know he was giving the woman a harsh look. She just brushed past us and down the stairs. Layla took a couple of shaky breaths before following her mother.
"She's right," I whispered, taking a deep breath to calm myself.
"No, she isn't," He denied instantly.
"Yes, she is. Layla should've been healed. Not me,"
"How could you say that?" Anger seeped into his voice, and I finally looked up to meet his eyes.
"I deserve to live because of some stupid comment I made? Look at her, Dean. Her mom needs her!"
"And I need you!" He snapped, cutting my rant short. "Sam and Dad and I - we need you, Mel. Okay? You can't die,"
"I won't if you won't," I smiled slightly, and he smiled back.
"Deal,"
-SPN-
Dean had convinced me to eat before we went back to the motel, so we stopped at the diner a few blocks down. By the time we got back to the motel it was eleven, and Sam was sitting in the corner hunched over his laptop busily typing away. Dean shrugged off his jacket and threw it into the corner as I hung mine on a hook by the door.
"Find anything?" I questioned Sam, pulling up a chair to sit next to him.
"I'm sorry," The happy mood that Dean had managed to get me into diminished entirely in a second.
"Sorry about what?" Dean demanded.
"Marshall Hall died 4:17," My heart sunk, and my eyes widened.
"The time I was healed," I muttered, scanning the screen as Sam explained what I was looking at.
"Yeah, so I put together a list of everyone that was healed. Six people over the past year, and I crossed checked them with the local orbits. Every time someone was healed someone else died, and each time the victim died in the same way le Grange was healing at the time,"
"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" Dean checked, and I sat back in the chair.
"Somehow, le Grange is trading a life for another," Sam elaborated.
"Marshall Hall died because of me," I murmured.
"The guy probably would've died eventually," Dean started making excuses, but I could barely hear him.
"You shouldn't have brought me here," I spoke softly, shaking my head. That guy died to save my life.
"We were just trying to save your life, Mel," Sam replied, equally as quietly, and my temper flared.
"Save my life? This guy is dead! Is my life worth that?" I snapped shoving the article at him as I stood abruptly.
"We didn't know," Sam sounded sorry, but for what I'm not sure. "The thing I don't understand is how Roy's doing it. How is he trading a life for a life?"
"He's not doing it. Someone else is doing it for him," Dean realized, and I turned to him, catching on.
"The old man I saw standing behind him," My stomach flipped as I realized what we were dealing with.
"What? What is it?" Sam questioned impatiently as Dean and I shared a knowing look.
"A reaper," I answered, sure beyond a doubt now.
"It's the only thing that could give and take life like that," Dean agreed.
6 hours later
"You really think it's the grim reaper?" Sam questioned dubiously as he studied a picture of the scythe holding, black cloaked fiend. "Like angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?"
"No, not the reaper, just a reaper," I explained. "There's reaper lore everywhere with millions of different names and appearances. There may be more than one,"
"But I thought you saw a dude in a suit," Sam sounded confused, and I glanced up at him.
"Well, maybe he doesn't wear a black robe and hold a scythe," I suggested, shrugging.
"You said the clock stopped, right?" Dean questioned him, holding up the printout he'd been looking at. "Reapers stop time,"
"And you can only see them when they're after you, which explains why neither of you could," I added.
"There's nothing else it could be, Sam. The question is how's Roy controlling the damn thing," Dean got to the point, ignoring Sam's hesitance and skepticism.
"That cross," Sam muttered thoughtfully.
"What?" I asked, knowing that his scrunched look meant he was on to something.
"There was a cross in the church. I knew I'd seen it before," He looked through some old cards before stopping at one and scoffing, flipping it over to show us. "Here,"
"A tarot?" Dean asked in surprise.
"I mean, it makes," Sam conceded. "Tarot date back to the early christian era when some priests were still using magic, and a few of them veered into the dark stuff,"
"Right, necromancy and how to prolong life or to cause death, so Roy's using dark magic to bind the reaper," I figured, and Sam nodded in agreement.
"If he is he's riding the whirlwind," Sam told us, taking back the card. "It's like putting a dog leash on great white,"
"Alright, so we stop Roy then," I hated myself for what I was thinking, but I couldn't see another way.
"How?" Sam inquired, scoffing slightly.
"You know how," Dean answered for us.
"No, guys, we can't kill Roy," Sam glanced back and forth between us. "You can't be serious,"
"He's choosing who lives and who dies, Sam," I reasoned.
"That's a monster in our book," Dean agreed, rolling his eyes as Sam gave us an incredulous look.
"No, we're not gonna kill a human being, guys. We do that we're no better than he is," Sam disagreed.
"Okay, so we can't kill Roy. We can't kill death. Any bright ideas college boy?" Dean asked sarcastically.
"If Roy's using some kind of black spell on the reaper we got to figure out what it is, and how to break it," I went around the table to lean over Sammy's shoulder, my fingers flying over the keys.
"He has a service in one hour where he's going to heal a lucky someone," I straightened, grabbing my coat from the hook and slipping it on. "We'd better get going," Dean drove us to the service in a tense silence. The one thing we all agreed on was that we had to stop the killings, which meant no more 'curing' from Roy.
"If Roy is using a spell," Sam broke the silence as we got out of the car. "There might be a spell book,"
"See if you can find it," Dean instructed, glancing at his watch.
"Hurry up," I added. "The service starts in fifteen. Don't be late,"
"We'll try to stall Roy," Dean and I began walking towards the service only to be stopped by that same protester that had been there when I was healed.
"Roy Le Grange is a fake and a fraud. He's no healer," He handed me and Sam flyers.
"Amen, brother," Dean agreed as we walked past towards the tent.
"You keep up the good work," Sam told him before walking off in the opposite direction. A couple minutes after we'd entered the tent my phone rang, and I answered it quickly, trying to draw as little attention as possible.
"What is it?" I asked, skipping the greeting and getting straight to the point.
"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral," Sam's words were hurried and breathless. "And I think I know who's next on his list. Remember that protester,"
"The one outside?" I glanced at the stage where Roy was coming up the steps.
"Yeah, I'll find him, but you can't let Roy heal anyone," I shut the phone without responding, and Dean gave me a questioning look.
"The protester outside is next on Roy's list," I explained as concisely as I could.
"The guy in the parking lot?" Dean hissed, and I nodded.
"We can't let Roy heal anybody else. Sam's going to find the guy," I finished as Roy raised his hands up to receive 'God's' word.
"Layla. Layla Rourke, come up here, child," He smiled into the crowd, and my heart dropped.
"No, no, no," I muttered as Layla stood up with a shining smile on her face, and she hugged her mom.
"Mom," She sighed in happiness, and there unwanted whispered words drifted to me.
"I love you, baby," Her mom breathed, tears of joy in her eyes.
"I can't do this," I turned away from the scene as everybody applauded.
"Layla," Dean grabbed her arm as she passed, and she turned to look at us in confusion. I kept my eyes on the ground, unable to meet hers. "Listen to me, you can't go up there,"
"Why not? We've waited for months," Her brow furrowed in confusion, and I forced myself to look at her.
"You can't be healed by Roy," She just shook her head at my words.
"I don't understand. I mean, Roy healed you, didn't he?" She looked appealingly at me before her eyes flicked to Dean and back to me.
"Why won't I at least let him try?" She asked.
"Because if you do, something bad is going to happen," Dean tried to convince her.
"We can't explain. We just need you to have faith," I practically begged her now. "Please,"
"Layla," Sue Ann beckoned with her hand for Layla to take the stage. Layla looked from Sue Ann's inviting hand to her mother nodding encouragingly to her before looking back at us and shaking her head.
"I'm sorry," Was all she said before turning and taking Sue Ann's hand.
"Layla," Dean hissed after her, but I didn't bother. I knew she'd made up her mind, and I was already thinking of ways to stop the healing. Roy began his ceremony, telling the crowd it was only a matter of time.
"Help!" I whipped my head around to face the entrance of the tent.
"Dean, the man's getting chased," I muttered, glancing around desperately. "We need to stop it,"
"Alright, come on," Dean pulled me to the back of the tent as we searched for an idea.
"Fire!" I yelled, hating myself.
"Fire! Everybody get out of here!" Dean took up the yell, and the crowd descended into chaos, people rushing towards the exit.
"No! No! Please!" Tears pricked at my eyes as I heard Mrs. Rourke's desperate shouts for her daughter to be healed. I met Layla's heartbroken eyes, and I averted my gaze, not bearing seeing her.
"We did it. We stopped Roy," Dean spoke into the phone.
I think it's okay. And then a moment later. Dean, it didn't work! The reaper's still coming! My eyes scanned the tent, picking apart every detail that could be important, and my brain worked furiously to come up with an explanation. Well, I'm telling you! I'm telling you it must not've worked! Roy must not be controlling the thing! My eyes landed on the back of Roy's wife, and I could hear her incessant whispering.
"Dean," The word barely left my lips before I was running towards the woman. I grabbed her arm and spun her around, making her gasp. My eyes dropped to the cross she held clutched in her hands. She quickly shoved the cross under her shirt as Dean came up beside us.
"Help! Help me!" I backed away from her, an intense dislike forming in my stomach. Dean and I were roughly grabbed by police officers and hauled towards the tent exit. Sue Ann followed us out of the tent, and the four officers stopped as she turned to face us.
"I just don't understand," She began, and shaking her head. "After everything we've done for you - after Roy healed you. Well, I'm just very very disappointed in you both," She swallowed before shaking her head again and nodding at the cops. "You can let them go. I'm not going to press charges. The Lord'll deal with them…" Her eyes bore into mine as she spoke, "As he sees fit,"
"We catch either of you around here again, we'll put the fear of god in you. You understand?" Dean just gave him his smartass smile.
"Yes, sir, fear of god, got it," The officers shoved us away from them before walking away. I turned to face the last person I wanted to see. Layla.
"Layla, I'm so sorry," I started, unsure of what else I could say.
"Why would you do that? It could've been my only chance," I glanced away from her.
"He's not the healer you want," I protested weakly.
"He healed you," Layla pointed out, looking at me in confusion.
"I know it doesn't seem fair, but Roy's not the answer. I'm sorry," Dean spoke with conviction, his arm tightening around my waist.
"Goodbye, Dean, Mel," Layla slipped past us before turning briefly. "I wish you luck. I really do,"
"Same to you," I called after her, and then whispered in a softer voice. "You deserved to be healed a lot more than me," I glanced up at Dean, feeling his denial coming on. "You shouldn't have brought me here," I repeated my words from before, and started towards the car, hearing Dean following. We met Sammy at the car, and I froze with the passenger door open to listen to Roy as he spoke to Mrs. Rourke.
"Come by tonight, and I'll give you a private session to heal your daughter," He promised a smiling Mrs. Rourke.
"God bless you, Reverend," She replied, laughing joyously before turning away. I got into the Impala and we drove back to the motel.
-SPN-
"So, Roy really believes," Sam mused as Dean and I finished telling him what had happened. I was sitting on the bed across from Sammy, and Dean was glancing out the window.
"Yeah, he has no idea what his wife's up to," I spoke in agreement as Dean sat beside me on the bed.
"Well, I found this," Sam pulled out a small leather notebook. "Hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper.
"Must be a hell of a spell," Dean flipped through the pages.
"Yeah, you got to build a black alter with seriously dark stuff. Cat bones, human blood. To cross a line like that," Sam just shook his head. "That preacher's wife… black magic, murder…"
"Desperate," Dean supplied, turning his gaze on me. "The person she loved was dying. She'd have done anything to save him," He held my gaze until Sam spoke up.
"She was using a binding spell - cheating death," I tore my gaze from Dean's smoldering, green eyes to look at Sam.
"Roy's alive, though, so why still use the spell?" I questioned, taking the book from Dean.
"Right, to kill people she thinks are immoral," Sammy reasoned, and Dean scoffed.
"Then God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work," I gave a soft laugh at the ironic truth of that statement.
"We have to break the binding spell," I flipped through the pages as I talked. Suddenly one picture caught my eye. "Hey, Sue Ann had a cross like this," I showed the picture to Dean, hoping he'd remember.
"Yeah, when she dropped it, he backed off," He remembered, nodding.
"So, you think we have to destroy the cross or the alter?" Sam questioned.
"Both? Just to be sure," I suggested, shrugging. "And whatever we decide, it has to be soon. Roy told Mrs. Rourke he'd heal Layla tonight," I glanced at the two boys as I moved to sit on a chair with the small journal. "You two should get some sleep,"
"We'll sleep after it's over," Dean brushed off my concern, and I studied them more closely.
"No, you'll sleep now. You two look like your going to fall asleep any moment. When did you last sleep?" I was concerned at how exhausted the two of them looked.
"Seriously, Mel, we're fine," Sam insisted.
Ten minutes later both boys were sprawled out on the beds fast asleep. I glanced at them with a small smile as my mind drifted back to Dean's words from earlier. The person she loved was dying. She'd have done anything to save him. If Dean had been dying instead of me, and I had known that to save him another person would die. Would I have done it anyway? As I looked at Dean's sleeping face the answer was clear as day. Yes. I would've. I turned away from the sleeping boys as my phone rang. I flipped it open, pressing it to my ear and grabbing a key to the motel room before shutting the door quietly behind me.
"Hello?" I spoke into the phone. I hadn't bothered to check the caller ID, so I really had no idea who I was speaking to.
"Hello, love," I stopped short in my pacing as I recognized the British accent.
"Maxwell," I hadn't talked to him in at least a year, maybe more. Not since… well, I didn't like to think about that. "How've you been?"
"Good, or as good as a hunter can be," He laughed lightly, and I smiled a bit. Maxwell and I had been good friends before… well, before. "I should be asking you that question. Heard you were in trouble,"
"Yeah, a bit of a close call, but I'm fine now," I assured him.
"That's good. Can't have you dying on me just yet," I let out a small laugh at his words.
"Well, I'm touched by your concern," I quipped a bit sarcastically.
"I was surprised to get Dean's call. Your boys had to be pretty desperate to be calling me," I rolled my eyes but couldn't fight the smile as he used that term. He'd always referred to Dean and Sam as my boys. Ever since our first hunt together all those years ago. I think it was about seven or eight now.
"Well, I'm better now," My tone was slightly bitter as I spoke those words.
"What happened?" Maxwell asked knowingly. He had an uncanny ability to know when something was wrong.
"Well, your faith healer turned out to be a hunt," I informed him with a sigh, and my information was met with silence. "You knew?" I hissed into the phone.
"No!" He protested immediately, and then hesitated. "I may have had a slight suspicion,"
"Max, someone died for me!" I snapped, and then stopped short as I accidentally used the nickname. I had tried so hard to distance myself from him, to let him move on. I hadn't even talked to him in a year for Christ's sake.
"Don't pretend you wouldn't have done the same thing for Dean," He snapped back, and I stopped short. I'd only been talking to him for a few minutes and already we'd come back to our old argument. "Sorry," Max began after a moment of silence. "I just called to make sure you were alright,"
"Well, I'm fine, and thank you. I owe you one," I told him, still a bit annoyed.
"I know, and don't think I won't be collecting, love," He replied, and I could hear the mischievous grin in his voice.
"Yeah, alright," I smiled as I spoke dubiously. "Be safe, Max, and watch your back," I didn't say it like a threat but more of a concerned friend.
"You too, love. I'll see ya around," I hung up and headed back into the motel room. I spent the next couple of hours flipping boredly through books, and I took a rather long shower. When I got out, it was almost time to go, and I dressed quickly in skinny jeans and a green tank top with a grey jacket. I nudged Sam awake before moving on to Dean, who grumbled.
"Come on. you can sleep after it's over. We should get going," The boys only took a couple of minutes to get ready, and then the drive took another forty-five minutes.
"That's Layla's car," Sam pointed out from the back. "She's already here," A sinking feeling accompanied his words.
"Yeah," I muttered, hesitating with my hand on the door. I could not go in. I could just stay in the car and let her be healed.
"Mel, don't," Dean started, but I shook my head.
"She should be healed right now. Roy would've chose her instead of me," I glared out the window, wishing I could go back in time. "She's going to be dead in a couple of months if we stop Roy tonight,"
"Look, what's happening to her is horrible," Dean told me. "But we can't let an innocent person die to save her,"
"You can't play god," Sam added. Instead of answering, I opened the car door and let myself out of the Impala, slamming the door behind me. We walked through the dark to the entrance of the tent, and Dean drew back the fold, giving us a clear view of Layla being brought to the front.
"Sue Ann's not here," I pointed out, glancing behind us.
"She's probably at the house," Sam reasoned, and my eyes flicked to the house. We began walking towards the building hurriedly.
"Go find Sue Ann. I'll catch up," Dean whispered, pushing Sam and I into the shadow of the house.
"What're you doing?" I hissed at him, and he didn't answer.
"Hey! You gonna put that fear of god in me?" Shit. The cops took the bait and sprinted after Dean, who turned and ran, disappearing from view.
"Will you be alright alone?" I questioned, my eyes trained on where Dean had vanished behind a car.
"Yeah, go help him," I took off in the direction the cops had run, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. I spread my hearing out, and found Dean hiding behind a car while the cops searched for him a few cars down. I pressed myself against an RV as the two officers with flashlights ran past me.
"See him?" The younger one asked.
"No," The older one answered in annoyance. I backed away from them slowly, keeping my back pressed against the RV. A hand covered my mouth, and I jumped, instinctively struggling against arm that wrapped around my waist. My struggling ceased when I saw Dean's face in the pale moonlight. He removed his hand from my mouth, and I stayed silent. Suddenly there were mad barking from behind me, and we jerked away from the RV. Thinking quickly, I shoved Dean towards the ladder rings that were on the side of the RV. We flattened ourselves on the roof just as the guard shined his flashlight under the RV and then in the window.
"Psycho mutt," He grumbled, turning and walking away. His partner followed, laughing to himself.
"I thought I told you to stay with Sam," Dean whispered.
"You did, but, see, I have this dumbass boyfriend, who volunteered himself as bait. So I had to go make sure he was alright," Dean grinned with me. "Your welcome, by the way," I added, and Dean's grin changed into fake indignation.
"I would've been fine," He denied.
"Whatever let's you sleep at night," I laughed as Dean descended the ladder, and I followed. We stole through the night quietly until there was a click behind us. We spun around, and there was another click. My eyes turned upward to see the streetlights going out one by one.
"What the hell?" Dean muttered, and I turned towards the house only to jerk back as I saw the reaper standing there. "What? What is it?" I took a halfhearted step back, but I didn't feel like running. I would die for Layla. It was how it should've been anyway. Dean yanked me backwards, standing in front of me and shaking my shoulders roughly. "Melody!" The use of my full name snapped me out of whatever trance I'd been in.
"He's here. I see him," I took another step backward, and Dean turned around, looking wildly at the surrounding cars.
"Where?" I pointed, and Dean gave up trying to see him and instead pulled me backward. I turned to run only to run straight into the reaper's chest and fall backwards. The reaper put his hand on the side of my head, and his fingers felt freezing against my cheek. I felt as if his hand was sucking the energy out of me. I let out a groan of pain and sunk to my knees.
"Mel! Melody, hey, come on. Don't die on me. Hang on," Dean was holding me in his arms, but I could barely feel them. I let out a strangled groan again, and no longer had the energy to remain upright. I gasped as my body began to go colder and colder. It was a burning kind of cold that seared through my veins like liquid fire. I wanted to scream, but my lungs had stopped responding, and even drawing a breath was a chore. Suddenly the freezing fingers left my face, and heat flooded back into me. i collapsed, my whole body weak.
"I'm okay," I murmured, sitting up. "It's gone," Dean pressed his lips to the top of my head.
"Don't you dare do that again," He whispered into my hair, and I turned my face into his jacket, breathing him in and calming myself.
"I don't plan on it," I finally got out the weak joke, and Dean gave a small chuckle. "I love you," I whispered, and he moved his lips from my hair to my lips.
-SPN-
"What is it?" Dean asked me as I sat in the chair fingering the journal while he and Sammy packed. My mind kept replaying the events from earlier, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't ignore it.
"Nothing," I shook my head.
"Come on, what's wrong?" Dean pressed as he and Sammy stopped packing, and I turned to look up at them.
"It was the right thing, right? Destroying the cross,"
"Of course we did," Sam reassured me, and I glanced down at the book again. It didn't feel like it. Before I could reply there was a knock at the door, and I frowned in confusion. "I'll get it," Sam told us, heading for the door.
"Hey, Layla," I looked up in surprise at the woman who I almost died for and who was going to die because of me.
"Hi," I greeted, not sure what to say. What do you say to someone who's going to die in six months or less?
"How'd you know where we were?" Dean supplied, and I glanced at him thankfully.
"Sam told me you two wanted to say goodbye," She prompted, glancing at Sam uncertainly.
"I'll grab a soda," Sam excused himself.
"So, where are you guys going?" She asked us conversationally.
"Uh, don't know yet," Dean replied truthfully.
"Our work makes us travel a lot," I explained.
"You know, I went back to see Roy," She told us, and I swallowed hard, knowing what was coming next.
"What happened?" I asked, swallowing again to keep the emotion at bay.
"Nothing," She sat down, looking at the floor. "He laid his hand on my forehead but nothing happened,"
"We're sorry," i said earnestly, taking Dean's hand as we sat beside her.
"And Sue Ann," She continued, studying us. "She's dead, you know. Stroke,"
"Yeah, we heard," Dean nodded, glancing away from her. "Roy was a good man. He doesn't deserve what's happened,"
"It must be hard on you," She glanced at me from her hands. "To believe in something like that and have it disappoint you," She smiled as if she'd expected me to say that.
"You want to hear something weird? I'm okay, really. I guess if you're gonna have faith, you can't just have it when the miracles happen, you have to have it when they don't,"
"So, what are you going to do now?" I questioned her, and she shrugged with the same goodnatured smile on her face.
"God works in mysterious ways," She stood and made her way to the door, and I stood also.
"Hey," I stopped her, and she turned. "You know, Dean and I, we don't really pray," I swallowed the emotion that rose in my throat. "But we'll pray for you,"
"Well, there's a miracle right there," She smiled tightly before turning and shutting the door behind her. A tear slid down my cheek as I stared at the door and felt Dean's arms wrap securely around my waist, keeping me safe.
