Chapter 11

Bobby gave a skeletal account of the events to Father Patrick. The poor man sat, dumfounded and unhappy at the knowledge.

He shook his head. "I'm an old man... Spent my life trying to teach the disinterested about the love of God and the power of good. I know there is another side, but in this day and age we don't dwell on that part. I suspect the Vatican libraries are brimming with literature on the subject of evil in all its forms, but we don't ever seem to need that kind of thing down here on the bottom line."

Bobby simply nodded a response.

Father Patrick continued. "Your friend up there; Dean? You say he hunts these...these evils, as a vocation? How did he know to hunt it here?"

Bobby weighed his answer. "Father, we, uh...have a sort of network. We hunters; some of us anyway, try to keep each other informed of incidents that could mean a demon presence. But this case was different; the roles were reversed. Laura Brennen; because of her state of mind, prayed hard for any help to avenge her family, but she had no idea what had answered. That demon used her to come into this world, but it wasn't interested in her quest; it had a different agenda. It came through to wreak havoc for a specific hunter." He looked to make sure that Laura was still out of earshot in the kitchen. "Father, she was in the company of a demon that took the form of her father. It manipulated her into believing that Dean was the one responsible for her tragedy. She shot him, and very nearly killed him. But he managed to get her to see that things weren't right, and in the end it was Laura who helped bring that thing down."

"Bring it down...so it's gone back to hell, then?"

"Back?" Bobby sighed. "No, I don't think so. We cast it out of its form this time, but it's out of the gate now. It's here to stay, unless we can trap it and send it back for good. And it seems to have some mission to fulfill; one that involves those brothers. I expect we'll be seeing it again."

Father Patrick simply stared in response. He didn't know what to say to these people; they knew so much more about all this than he did, and he felt powerless to offer any comfort. "And the young man; Dean...he'll recover?"

Bobby's expression softened. "I expect so. He's a tough SOB, that boy. I've seen him get up from worse."

Father Patrick frowned. "I pray that he will return to health, then." He glanced at Laura, still in the other room. He was distant for a moment, weighing his words. "You know, she never healed, after her Dad and sister were so brutally taken. This business of joining the police force; it's not her, not her true nature. She was poised to go to college for fine art studies. She was a fine painter. She showed real talent, real promise." He looked down, knowing he was breaking a sacred confidence. "She confessed to me, just after it happened. She was looking for forgiveness; she told me that when that man came into the house, she hid in terror under her bed, cringing with every scream. To this day she feels terrible guilt that she hid rather than somehow defend her family. She felt she had cheated somehow by not dying with them. I told her there was no sin to forgive, that she wasn't responsible. But she could never forgive herself. Rotten business!"

Sam had come down from his vigil in time to hear the conversation. He stood in silence, listening to the old priest explain these things. He sat down, with a deep and weary sigh. He wanted to keep hating her for what she'd brought down on them, on Dean. But the more he heard, the more he understood her. And she had done everything possible to counter it, to correct her terrible mistake. He knew she wasn't really responsible for what had unfolded; she was only a minor cog in the greater scheme. After all, the demon had immediately forced its own agenda the moment it had gained a foothold on earth. It wanted Dean; it wanted him to suffer and die. But why? Why was it so determined to destroy him? They'd never before been targeted like this, in all their years of hunting. It unnerved him completely, the thought that the other side was now gunning equally hard for them.

"How is he?" Bobby asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Quiet…still and quiet. This pretty much wrung everything out of him, but he's already cooling down. He doesn't seem to be battling anything at the moment. He seems peaceful."

Laura offered Sam a drink as she had the others, and he gratefully accepted. She handed him the glass, unable to meet his eyes.

"Laura, wait..." he said. He caught her hand.

She winced and turned to hear him, expecting more of his wrath.

"Look, I just...wanted to say thanks, for your help. I know you've been through hell yourself. I know why you needed revenge. And Dean, more than anyone, would understand that. I know he does."

She managed to keep her composure, at least on the outside. She found some fragment of her voice to answer him. "Thank you." The words caught in her throat, but she over came it. "I swear to God, I'm about to lose what's left of my sanity after all this horror, but hearing that from you..." She couldn't finish. She stood, staring at the floor in silence as tears fell in steady drops at her feet.

"Why don't you go check on him? I need to talk to Bobby for a few minutes." Sam said.

She nodded, and turned away.

Bobby was proud of him. He knew how hard it was sometimes to forgive.

Laura pulled up a chair close to the bed. After everything she'd seen Dean suffer, she thought he did seem to be peaceful now. She tried to keep all the ugliness from flooding her mind as she watched his steady breathing. She had a powerful urge to flee, to turn away and run from what she'd brought about, but she knew she had to see it all through. She owed them that; christ, she owed them everything she could offer. She startled as he turned and moaned, and she darted a hand forward to touch his forehead, fearing he was feverish again. He was still cooler. He opened his eyes as she drew her hand back.

It took him a moment to focus. "Laura.." he whispered.

She nodded, shaking and wiping the blurriness from her eyes. "Do you want your brother?"

He shook his head slightly. "No."

"Please...please, tell me how to help you." she begged softly.

He smiled wanly for her benefit. "I'm starving...this hotel have any room service?"

She snorted a laugh that was more sob than anything else. "Soup...I'll bring you some soup." she smiled, relieved to be able to do anything remotely useful.

"Can you...send Bobby up?"

"Sure, I'll get him." She returned to the room below, informing the trio of somber men in the livingroom that Dean was awake and requesting food.

Sam smiled at Bobby. "His stomach always heals first."

"He wants to talk to you." she told Bobby. He went up as she busied herself with making something easy for him to eat.

Bobby sat down beside him, reaching out to check on him. "Well; looks like you cheated the devil himself this time. Little close for my comfort, though."

"No shit." Dean took a deep breath, needing to speak before he tired completely. He turned his frightened eyes to his old mentor. "Bobby, something's going on...something with Sam. I...I don't know yet, what it is, but I saw things... I can't remember alot of it, but it was more of what that demon was saying; like Sam plays some part in some plan they've got going, and I'm in the way somehow. Bobby, we've gotta talk to Dad."

Bobby swore. "Dean; if I knew how to reach him I'd haul him here by the short hairs. But I haven't heard from him and he doesn't answer my messages. But I know Missouri has talked to him, I'll call her. I don't know what to tell you about all this. Maybe it's just playing head-games. But the reality is that there's one more damned demon loose in the world, and looks like it's got it in for you. We'll just have to be watching for it from now on."

Dean was fading. "Well...nothing new I guess. Hell, who isn't gunning for us right now?"

Bobby glanced at him with a wry grimace. "Listen, she's fixing some soup for you; can you try to stay awake for that? You really need something in you."

Dean nodded, eyelids heavy. "Better hurry up."