Chapter Seventeen: V Is Very, Very Extra Ordinary
The hunting had been long and hard these days. Hunt after hunt after hunt. They seemed to be more frequent. We finally got a break and the first thing we did was find the nearest bar and drink until we couldn't anymore. It would make everything rainbows and butterflies, if only for a little while.
"Here…" Dean said handing me another beer.
"Thank you baby." I grinned looking up at him.
He kissed me deeply before sitting back down. Sam just shook his head at us. I frowned and shoved him. We were happy. All three of us were safe and happy. No near drowning experiences or blood loss of any kind. What would need more celebration then that? I clapped as the latest karaoke singer left the stage.
"You go up there." Dean told me.
I laughed until I realized he was serious. "I don't think so." I said shaking my head.
"Come on baby, do it for me." Dean goaded.
"I'll do just about anything for you but I'm not singing karaoke." I grinned at him.
He leaned over and put his lips against my ear. "You know you want too." He breathed. "Do it for me." He said and gently bit my earlobe.
My body shuttered and I sighed, looking at him. He had a triumphant grin on his face. "I will if you will." I told him.
"Fine." He grinned at me.
"I'll be right back." I said and went to the bathroom.
I stood and thought of a song. He didn't think I was really going to do it. He wouldn't sing karaoke. I would have to pick a song and then we'd see who the triumphant one was. When I went back out I looked at their classic rock music. I knew Dean liked it and if I picked the right one then I'd make him happy and be able to laugh when he got up onto the stage. I grinned when my eyes saw the right one. A favorite of mine and a crowd pleaser. The only thing that remained was hoping everyone was drunk enough not to care what it sounded like. I walked onto the stage after giving the guy who was running it the song. My heart was racing. This was something I didn't do. Never been big on the public humility. But none the less, I would humor my fiancé for the time being. I took several deep breaths as I built myself up. The music started and I got into the beat the best I could. I looked at Dean and he had a big grin on his face. I smiled and started to sing Free's All Right Now. I moved to the beat, using the mic stand when appropriate. I made a fool of myself during the break but thought I ended it on a high note. I bowed when most of the room clapped for me and I practically ran from the stage, taking my seat next to Dean.
"That was fantastic." He grinned and kissed me.
"Thank you." I grinned back kissing him again. "Now it's your turn." I told him.
He finished his beer and stood up going straight to the DJ, telling him his song. I frowned and watched as he went to the mic. As soon as the music started I laughed and clapped as I watched him. He raised a brow at me before he started to sing. He belted out Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood and the Destroyers. I yelled out to him as he sang. He had a decent voice and it drew me to him even more. I couldn't help but stare at him. When he was done I gave him a standing ovation, overpowering the crowd that was also clapping for him. He came off of the stage and walked up to me. He put his hands on the back of the chair and leaned over me. I smiled and put my hands on the sides of his head. He lowered his head and kissed me deeply.
"How was that for you?" He asked.
"I loved it. You should do it again." I told him.
"We should do a duet." He grinned.
"As soon as we're both completely trashed, I'd love to." I grinned back.
We did just that. We were there all night. Drink after drink. We were completely wasted. Well, Sam remained mostly sober. He would need the alcohol after Dean and I were done with the karaoke machine. We ended up singing Endless Love by Lionel Richi & Diana Ross. It took all the convincing I had in me to get Dean to do it, but I won the battle with the pouty face he couldn't resist. It was entertaining in the fact that the words were slightly slurred and both of our singing only got worse the more we drank. But that wasn't the point. We were having fun and that was the point. When we finally got back to the room I was so trashed I was passed out before my head hit the pillow. When I woke up my head was pounding but when I couldn't remember everything that happened I figured it was expected. I rolled over to see Dean still asleep next to me. He was on his stomach. I rolled onto my side and started to run my fingers up and down his back. I leaned over and kissed his forehead. He was still out cold. I smiled and kissed his lips gently before rolling out of bed. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself. I was still in the clothes from last night and I totally looked like hell. I jumped into the shower, hoping that it would wash away all the alcohol that was still in my body. The steam helped my head as well as the mass amount of pain killers I took. The next step would be coffee. My prayers were answered when I came out just as Sam walked in with the nice warm drinks.
"Thank God." I told him as I rushed to get my cup. "You are my favorite right now."
"Headache?" He smiled. I just groaned. "That's what happens when you drink too much."
"But it was fun." I smiled and sat in a chair. I rested my head against the wall and looked at Dean. "I think he drank more then me."
"Which means he'll be asleep most of the day." Sam stated.
"Yup." I said and took another sip.
It didn't take long to drain the cup. Afterward I was tired again and was more then happy to crawl back into bed with Dean. I laid next to him, putting my arm over him. I rested my head next to his and watched him, gently running my fingers through his hair, before falling back asleep.
There was a pounding in my ears. I thought it was just my head but when I opened my eyes Sam was going toward the door. Dean lifted his head and looked at me before turning his attention toward the door. I sat up as Dean did the same. He pulled on a shirt as Sam opened the door. A girl stood there looking frantic. She was covered with dirt and blood. Sam didn't get a chance to say anything before she fell into his arms unconscious. I looked at Dean before going to the other bed as Sam laid her on top of it. He turned and quickly closed the door.
"What the hell?" Dean said stepping next to me.
"Baby, go get a rag and water." I told him.
"We should call an ambulance." He replied.
"No." I told him. "She came to us for a reason. She could have gone to the hospital herself. Let's just wait until she wakes up."
"What if she doesn't?" He asked running his fingers through his hair. "We can't have a body in our room."
"Dean, please, let's not do anything right away. If she doesn't wake up by tomorrow we'll take her to the hospital. But it's not to farfetched to think that she came to us for a reason. People know who we are. They know what we do." I told him.
"Fine." He told me and went in to the bathroom, slamming the door.
"What do you think that's about?" Sam asked me.
"I'm not sure." I said staring at the bathroom door.
I looked at Sam before going to the door. I checked the door before slipping inside. Dean was sitting on the edge of the tub. I sighed and sat next to him. Taking his hand in mine, I traced the lines on his palm. He just watched me. I looked up at him and smiled. He just looked away from me.
"What's going on?" I finally asked him. "Why are you against this?"
"It just seems like a bad idea to me." He replied running his hand through his hair.
I kissed his temple and gently massaged his neck at the base of his skull. "Headache?" He nodded with a sigh. I massaged his neck before slipping behind him, moving my fingers to his temples. I kissed the top of his head. He leaned back against me. Smiling, I kept massaging, for a moment forgetting the predicament we had going on in the other room. We were forced to remember when Sam knocked on the door.
"Everything all right?" He asked.
"Yeah." I replied. "Be right out."
Dean sighed and put his hands on my forearms, pulling them around him. Resting my chin on his shoulder, I put my cheek against his. A moment later I stood and stepped out of the tub. I took some Tylenol from my bag and handed it to Dean with a glass of water. He took it and smiled at me.
"It's going to be okay." I told him.
"What could have happened to her that would lead her to us and in the condition that she's in?" He asked.
"I don't know." I told him shaking my head. "But I hope she does when she wakes up."
"What if it goes south?" He asked.
"We'll take it one step at a time." I replied. "We'll do it together."
"Okay." He smiled and stood, walking up to me. "Guess this means the funs over."
"For now." I smiled at him. "Stop making me wait. Kiss me already."
He laughed and kissed me deeply. "Let's not leave Sam waiting."
"You go; I'm going to get water and a washcloth." I told him.
"Okay." He said kissing me again before going out.
Looking in the mirror I leaned against the counter taking a deep breath. My mind started to go through everything that it could possibly be. I got the water and cloth before going back out into the room. I put it down and picked up my phone before staring at it, putting it back down.
"What is it?" Dean frowned at me.
I looked at him and gave a sad smile. "I was going to call your dad." I said giving a short laugh. He looked at me sadly. "It's okay." Though I could feel the emotion in my voice. "I just forgot for a second. He would know what to do." I frowned. I shook it off and took the ice bucket of warm water to the bed. "I'm fine." I smiled at Dean. "It just hurt for a second. I'm good now. Focused on the task at hand."
It of obvious that they didn't believe me. It didn't matter though. I tuned them out as I started to wipe down the woman's body. She was hardly injured; most of the blood was from mild wounds where it had smeared. She was filthy but I managed to get most of the dirt and blood off of her. Underneath all of the grim was a young woman with short black hair. She was tall and slender. She wore torn jeans and a tank top that was more or less intact. Her feet were bare and the bottoms of them were cut in several areas. I used the bandaging supplies we had to wrap her feet and a few of the cuts that looked worse then the others. When I was done Dean and I sat on our bed and watched her while Sam did the same from a chair. An hour went by, then another. Sam left momentarily to get some food but she still didn't wake. We slept in shifts, wanting one of us to be awake when she finally woke up.
"Evy…" I heard my name but I was so tired. When I finally cracked my eyes open Dean was looking at me. "She's waking up."
Those words had me alert in a second. I shot off of the bed, my eyes locked on Dean's. He took my hand before we turned to the girl. It looked like she was waking but her eyes remained closed. After a few minutes it appeared to be more of a nightmare then anything else. I stepped up the bed and gently touched her arm. Her eyes shot open and she started to scream.
"Oh God…" I said and sat on the edge of the bed. I put my hands on the sides of her head. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's all right. Shhh. Please, be quiet." I told her.
She kept screaming. "Shut her up." Dean said going to the windows.
"Please be quiet." I said leaning over the woman. "Hey!" I yelled giving her a sharp shake. She stopped but her eyes were wide and she was staring at the ceiling. "Thank you." I said and let her go. "Are you okay?" I asked, not expecting a response. I didn't get one. She shot off of the bed and found the first corner to cower in. She was against the nightstand in between the beds. "Hey, it's okay." I said squatting in front of her. She cowered away from me. I stood with a sigh and stepped away from her. I looked at the boys and shook my head. "I don't think she's ready."
"Evy…" Dean said looking me. I nodded and followed him outside. "What are we doing?" He asked when the door was closed.
"We're going to help her." I told him.
"How? She's clearly gone over the deep end." He replied.
"We have no idea what she's been through. We need to give her a chance to explain. If it turns out that it was some random coincidence, then we'll take her to the hospital. If she just happened to knock on our door, we'll take her in. Until then, we are going to look after her." I told him.
"Why are you so committed to this? We know nothing about her." Dean stated.
"I know that. But we can't just do nothing. It's not in me to do nothing. I have to do something." I told him.
He just looked at me, his jaw clenched. A moment later he sighed and put his hand on my cheek. "You're one of a kind, baby." He said and kissed me.
"Thank you. You are too." I told him. "But, why are you so against this? What if she knows something about Azazel? What if she knows something that could be crucial to finding him?"
"You're very positive." He said with a raised brow.
"And you're being awfully negative." I stated.
He sighed and pulled me against him. "I'll do better." He said and kissed my forehead.
"Come on." I said taking his hand.
When we went back inside Sam was standing in front of her. She was rocking back and forth. It wasn't just info I hoped she had that drew me to her. I knew some degree of what she was feeling. I knew the fear and the pain that was written all over her face. She needed help. She needed to be tended to. I would help her. I would be there like Dean and Sam were there for me. I walked to Sam, putting my hand on his arm. He just shook his head. I gave him a small smile before kneeling in front of her. I just looked at her. She was still cowering away from me. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"Hey…" I said trying to meet her eyes. "I have no idea what happened to you. I wish I could make the pain go away. I wish that the fear you're feeling would fade. But I can tell you that we're not going to hurt you. We want to help you. I can't guarantee that we can make it all better but we can help. But I can promise you that we are going to do anything we can for you. We can help dull the pain. But first…" I said looking at her. "First we need to know what happened to you. If you can tell us anything about what happened to you, we can help make it better." I finished. Her shaking seemed to subside slightly and she met my eyes. The fear was still there but she gave me a nod. I smiled and gently put my hand on her knee. "What's your name?" I asked her.
"Marissa." She told me.
I smiled at her. She had spoken. "Hi, Marissa. I'm Evy, this is Dean and Sam." I said introducing all of us. "Can you tell me what happened?" I asked her calmly.
She turned her body and faced me crossing her legs in front of me. She nodded as she looked at me. I crossed my legs and waited expectantly. Dean touched my shoulder as he sat on the bed next to me. I smiled at him and put my arm on his knee. Sam sat on the bed across from us. All our eyes moved to Marissa. She looked uneasy but I gave her a small smile. She smiled back. I wasn't going to pressure her. I knew what that was like and I didn't want to be that person.
"I don't remember a lot. I was walking alone down a side road. My parents live out of town and I was visiting them after class. A friend of mine lives about a mile away from them. I was almost home when some man stopped in front of me. He had yellow eyes." She told us. I nodded as I listened intently. "He told me to find Evy and the Winchesters. He told me where to find you. He told me that I needed to give you a message." She told me.
I frowned, dread filled me. "What's the message?" I asked her.
"That the game is over. The fun is up and that the next time he saw you or your boys that he would kill you. He won't seek you out and he recommends that you not seek him. The war has begun and what happened to Sam was just the beginning. Dean would be next and the pain he would feel would be unlike any other. He can still hurt you and he's not afraid of proving it." She finished and looked at her hands.
"What happened after that?" I asked her.
"He attacked me. Put the fear of God in me and then disappeared." She said and looked up at me. "I ran as fast as I could, caught the next bus out of town. But when I got here it was just too much." She said as tears ran down her cheeks. "It was too much, I couldn't take it."
"It's okay." I said and ran my hand down the back of her head. "I know the feeling." I smiled at her. "Thank you." I said and stood up. "I'm going to go get you some water." I told her and went into the bathroom.
As soon as I was in the room the shaking started. The tears stung. I clenched my jaw as I shut my eyes. A moment later there were hands on my shoulders and lips in my hair. I couldn't stop shaking and the tears started to flow faster. I knew this day would come. He would get sick of playing his silly games. Taunting me and making my life a living hell. But we got used to each other. We got used to seeing each other and we were too cordial with each other. I knew it would end someday. I was going to kill him, or at least help in killing him but it was pushed too far. It was obvious that it had to end. Opening my eyes the first thing I saw was Dean's concerned face. I closed them again and the image of him after I pulled him from the water entered my mind. I shook my head and took a deep breath.
"It's okay." He whispered in my ear.
"No, it's not." I said turning in his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. "I knew this was going to happen. It was only a matter of time."
"Hey…" He said pulling me away from him. "I feel like I need to tell you how extraordinary you are." He smiled.
I frowned up at him. "Don't make this a light thing."
"I'm not. But to make you feel just a little bit better I want you to know that you are extraordinary. The way you talked to her. What you said. You're extraordinary. Is it so wrong to tell my fiancé that?" He said giving me his half smile.
I couldn't help but smile back. "I hate it when you do that."
"Do what?" He smiled pulling me against him.
"Divert my attention from a dire situation by telling me something so sweet. Something you don't normally tell me. Then give me a smile that makes me do anything you want." I replied.
"Anything?" He said raising his brows. I glared at him. "Then stop worrying."
"I can't." I frowned at him. "It's my job to worry about my fiancé. Remember that conversation we had about me taking care of you? Well, this is one of those moments."
"I know you're afraid of what might happen. But believe it or not I can take care of myself. So can Sam." He told me.
"I know. But I'm the girl in the bunch and if I don't worry no one will." I replied.
"You stopped shaking." He stated.
I took a moment to realize this. "Yes, so you've calmed me down. I guess I'm going to get her that water I told her I was going to." I told him.
"Not yet." He smiled and pushed me back against the counter.
His lips met mine fiercely and for a moment I couldn't breathe. When he finally pulled his face away from mine I had nothing left to say. He had successfully made light of a situation that terrified me. It was only a matter of time before the demon would resurface and then we would be in the fight for our lives. I was worried beyond measure but Dean knew how to calm me down, or at least take my mind off of the current problem. I got the glass of water and wrinkled my nose at him as I walked past. He slapped my ass and smiled as he followed me.
"Here you go." I said handing Marissa the glass. She had moved from the floor to the bed.
"Thank you." She said taking it.
"Are you feeling better?" I asked sitting across from her. She nodded. "Thank you for finding us. It took a lot of guts to come after what happened." I told her.
"He was rather convincing." She said sadly.
"Yeah, I know." I told her.
"So what now?" She asked me.
"We get you home." I replied.
"What if I'm not ready to go home?" She asked.
"There's no question in this. You got us the message he wanted you to. Your part is done. We can't risk you tagging along."
"Where are you going next?" She asked.
"We don't know." I told her.
"I live the next state over. Can you at least give me a lift? I drained my finances trying to get here." She replied.
I looked at the boys. Dean looked uneasy but Sam nodded and said, "Okay."
I just looked at him before looking at his brother. Dean shrugged and I smiled at her. "Okay."
The car was quiet. Dean kept glancing at me and I just smiled and took his hand. Sam and Marissa were in the back seat and both were looking out the window. We had only been on the road a few hours. We had several hours to go and if this was the way it was going to go then I was eager to have it over. Marissa was a sweet girl but she had disturbing news and the longer she was with us the greater the chances were that something would happen. It was making me on edge and it was obvious that Dean was too. Sam seemed to be the calmest about it. They started up a conversation in the back and I looked at Dean.
"Are we doing the right thing here?" He asked me.
"I don't know." I told him putting my other hand over his. "Something feels off."
"And you were the one who was so eager to help." He pointed out.
Marissa laughed and I glanced into the back before looking at Dean again. "I know, but her eagerness to stay with us screams conspiracy." I told him.
"You think?" He asked with raised brows.
I nodded and told him, "It's got me worried."
"If you're worried then something is definitely not right." He replied.
"That's not true." I smiled at him. "I worry all the time, remember?"
He just smiled and shook his head. "Let's find a hotel and figure this out."
Night had ensued and I felt the need to get out of the car. It was getting crowded and I couldn't talk too loudly or about anything serious with the object of talk was sitting not a meter away from me. It was comforting when the hotel only had single bed rooms and we couldn't leave Marissa alone. Sam got a cot and volunteered to stay with her. It was perfect. Dean and I would be able to have a bit of alone time. We'd be able to talk and fill Sam in later.