Dream Me a Second Life

I swear to Cas that I'm not trying to post a chapter every month, I just have the weirdest versions of writers block. I'm going to need to start calling in some help after this chapter.

So things might be getting heavy now, here comes the big stuff.

If anyone is at all curious as to the piano music playing at the start. I've been envisioning it as stuff by Nox Arcana. I can never quite decide which song fits more but most of them do and they're all so beautiful. I highly recommend looking the songs up on Youtube as I've officially become a little obsessed with them and I think some of you will too lol.

She knew she was dreaming before she even opened her eyes but the music was starting to bug her. Her blue-green eyes snapped open and looked around the very dimly lit room. It was the same room she had fallen asleep in but now she was alone. The room wavered as if it were incredibly hot but she felt no heat. Sighing, determined now to discover the source of this music, she dropped her feet to the floor and rose off the bed. Her feet left burning imprints across the floor as she walked out of the room, following the melancholy music down the stairs, all the way down to the panic room.

It was odd that this was the place she was going to. The heat waves continued throughout the whole house and she was beginning to think it was coming from her. With a deep breath, she reached forward and opened the panic room door.

An aged, grand piano took up most of the space. The player had their back to the door, black as night hair rolled down her back. Pale arms reached for the keys and hit each with precision. While the player sat at one end of the piano, the watcher noticed the keys at the other end lowering as if they too were being hit. The whole sight sent a shiver up her spine for no real known reason.

"Who are you?" The watcher asked finally, fed up with the music. While the player suddenly paused, the music kept playing, the song repeating itself. Slowly, the player rose from the piano bench and stepped around it before turning to gaze at the girl watching.

They stood either side of the door, staring at almost mirror images of themselves. While one had black hair, the other had a lighter brown. Blue-green eyes met with red-black ones. Slightly tanned skin was replaced with very pale, almost iridescent skin. Dark red lips parted in a smile at the human.

"I'm you." The player stated simply. "Or at least...you as you are...down there." Head tilted, red-black eyes gazed down at the floor.

No more indicating was needed to figure that one out.

"So...so Crowley...he really...I mean he..." The watcher wasn't sure how to say what she was getting at.

"Pulled you out? Yes he did." The player assisted with a grin.

"Then why are you..."

"Because there's more to you than you remember." The player cut in. Her pale hand reached across the threshold to touch to other's cheek, surprising the poor girl with the amount of heat coming off her. "More to us, I should say."

"Like what?" The watcher was almost scared to ask. She didn't like these visits and she wasn't particularly fond of viewing a mirror image of herself looking the way this other her did.

"Don't trust Crowley." The player stated, ignoring the question. "Whatever you do, whenever he comes back, do not trust him. He'll do whatever he can against our father and uncles."

"Wait, what? Who's my...our...father?" The watcher asked.

"He's a prince of..." The player's voice faded off along with everything else around the two.

Except for the music.

***SL***SPN***SL***SPN***SL***

Dean glanced at Aria as he drove. She was leaning right up against him, nearly passed out. While she had fallen asleep before him and woke up after him, she still didn't seem to have slept well. He wanted to ask what she had dreamed about but for some reason just couldn't bring himself to do it. He glanced down at her hands, at the locket she held that she had been clutching when she woke up that morning. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant but it had yet to leave the girl's clutches since she discovered it.

"So Rufus said that it was just an average demon gathering slash haunting." Sam reported from the backseat. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Where have I heard that before?" Lily teased. Sam just grinned and shook his head.

"Ari, you okay babe?" Dean asked.

"Yep." Aria replied quietly, her thumb running over the locket. She had yet to open it and the longer she went like that, the more curious Dean got. But yet he still couldn't bring himself to ask. It looked rather old and heavy, sitting on the palm of Aria's hand and taking up nearly all the space. The gold chain seemed barely strong enough to hold it and Dean wondered vaguely what it must be like to wear something that seemed so heavy. As far as the looks went, it didn't seem overly extravagant. It was gold itself with a webbed design across the face of it, almost looking like a cage of some sorts. Behind that, Dean thought he could make out the sparkling of gems but he couldn't be certain.

They drove in silence the rest of the way. Dean was starting to wish he was able to go further than a few feet from Aria because truthfully, with the way she seemed to be feeling, he didn't like the idea of having her around any demons right now. But what could he do? Even if they were able to separate, he couldn't just tell her to stay behind. She would never listen to him, never had before, he shouldn't expect any different these days.

"So this is the place?" Lily asked, leaning forward and looking at the school in front of them. It seemed like a regular sort of elementary school off on the weekend. There were a couple of cars in the parking lot that Dean guessed was for the cleaning staff, or probably a principal or someone lame like that.

"Yep, this is it." Sam replied. Dean turned off the Impala and frowned slightly. Monsters rarely went for schools, least not when he had to deal with them. The last time he had gone to a school with Aria for a case like this, Sam had snuck off to college.

"Let's go." Aria announced suddenly, climbing out of the car and latching the locket around her neck. The other three paused at the sudden activity from their companion before following her example and getting out.

They gathered their weapons from the trunk and casually wandered around the school to an open door. They kept their eyes and ears open for any civilians or demons. Everything was quiet as they checked classroom after classroom. By the time they had made it through the whole school, Dean was pissed. He just wanted this to be over and done with, the sooner the better, but their monster was hiding. He knew it was there, the PK metre was going nuts as long as they were in the building.

"We need a different..." Dean started but stopped as something clenched in his chest.

"Dean?" Sam asked. The older brother whipped around and looked behind them, finding only his brother and Lily there. As the pain suddenly exploded in his chest, he let out a groan and dropped to his knees. "Holy shit, Dean!"

"Ari..." Dean ground out.

"Where the hell is she?" Lily asked, looking around. Her answer came in the form of screaming further down the hall, back the way they came. Sam helped his brother to his feet and the three of them ran for the noise.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Aria's yelling echoed out from a previously searched classroom and they wasted no time in barging in, guns drawn and ready.

Or at least, they thought they were ready.

They didn't expect to find the demon suddenly dropping down to one knee, bowing his head in reverence as Aria stood it front of it, hands held out to fend it off. Her hands seemed paler then usual as they shook. For a moment, her hair looked black rather than it's normal light brown colour. She blinked, her eyes seeming to flash for a moment. Lily was the only one, again, paying attention to the other girl's face. Sam and Dean were more worried about the blood staining her shirt at her chest.

"Aria!" Dean called out, snapping the girl's attention to him. Her hands shook worse than before as she stumbled back away from the demon. Three rounds of gunfire rang out as the people in the doorway shot the kneeling man. He fell to the floor, black smoke escaping him. Aria backed up to a wall then slid down it, starting to hyperventilate. Dean ran to her side and crouched down, pulling her to him. She flinched and looked up at him, panic in her eyes.

"It...I..." Aria stammered over her words.

"Hey, hey, relax." Dean soothed her with a hand running on her back. He peeled her shirt to the side to check where the blood came from and frowned, seeing no wound. He wiped at the red fluid and his frown deepened when it looked like the it was coming from the scar. His eyes turned to his own chest and he was surprised to see a blood stain on his shirt as well. "Oh, son of a bitch!"

"What?" Sam asked. Dean looked at his brother, turning enough to show the stain on his shirt. Sam's eyes widened as he looked between the two on the floor, unsure what to say.

"Guys." Aria whispered. All eyes turned to her and she turned fearful blue-green eyes to the body not far away. "He called me...princess."

***SL***SPN***SL***SPN***SL***

"Why would a demon call you princess and bow like that?" Dean repeated his question for what felt like the hundredth time.

They had gotten a couple of motel rooms. It would have been just one because of circumstances but there were no two bed rooms available. The four of them were gathered in Dean and Aria's room, both having changed shirts by that point. Dean paced in front of the bed while Aria curled on it, hugging a pillow to herself and digging her nails occasionally into it, attempting to stop her hands shaking. Sam and Lily had sat themselves on the couch and all eyes followed Dean as he wore a groove into the carpet.

"I don't know!" Aria cried, just as she had every other time. She tilted her head down, burying her face in the pillow.

"This isn't good, we need answers here guys!" Dean turned his demands towards his brother and the girl sitting with him.

"I'm just as clueless." Sam defended himself putting his hands up in case Dean decided to launch an attack. The older brother turned green eyes on Lily who had been quiet since the school.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

"I...I may have...an idea." Lily confessed, bringing all the attention on herself. She didn't look at any of them as she toyed with the edge of her shirt, twisting the fabric between her fingers.

"Well?" Dean prompted.

"Aria is...well she's..." Lily stumbled over her words, frowning at her inability to say what she knew needed saying.

"Lily...what is it?" Sam asked softly, taking one of his girlfriend's hands in his in an attempt to comfort her. Lily sighed then pulled away from him. She stood up and moved away from all of them before turning and finally looking at them.

"Aria...is the daughter of Asmodues." Lily rambled off, lowering her eyes again. "He's a...ruler...of Hell. More specifically, the second level of Hell. He's...he's the one that...twists...sexual desire."

Everyone was quiet.

Everyone was stunned.

Nothing was spoken for several long minutes.

All eyes stayed on Lily who shifted nervously, waiting for the inevitable questions that would come her way. They were bound to happen, and soon, and she was terrified of the repercussion that would follow.

Then finally...

"How...do you...know this?" Dean asked calmly and slowly which was a sure sign that he was ready to snap at any moment and his apparent target was the little brunette standing between him and the door.

"Because I told her." A new voice joined the room, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings and the flickering of the lights. Lily lifted her eyes and looked behind Dean to the man who had appeared there in a navy blue suit, tan over coat and expressionless face.

"Castiel." The girl muttered, unsure whether to be relieved or not by this new turn of events.

Okay so a LOT just got revealed here, and so the story truly starts lol. I couldn't help it, Cas just has to be here.

PS for readers of Twist The End and Shattered...I used to have a plan to get through those before season seven started but...well...that starts in two days so that plan ain't happening. Shattered may have some references to the season as it progresses and Twist The End will likely pull some elements from the episodes if my idea well runs dry (which it has been doing sadly, I feel like that story needs a season running to be able to go properly).