Before we get going here, I wanted to respond to a review real quick. It was asked whether or not I'm going to keep things canon or switch some things up. I've always preferred to keep things mostly canon and just work my OCs into the story along the way. There will be changes here and there, mostly with future chapters, but for the most part I like trying to keep this as "real" as possible. I've always enjoyed slipping inside the already existing story and seeing how I could imagine things going had my OC been involved. I know a lot of other authors really like taking liberties and creating whole new stories, and I absolutely applaud that, but just expect this story to follow canon for the most part. Either way, I very much appreciate you guys giving me the change to share this story with you. If there's ever anything you'd like to know or see along the way, always feel free to reach out to me! In the meantime here's the next bit! As always, I hope you like it! Xoxo-NickyLynn
Ariella had been lying across the length of her front seat, feet propped up on the ledge of her open window, trying to get some rest in while she sat waiting in the hospital parking lot. Sam and Dean had gone inside hours ago, leaving her with some time to get in a bit of rest while they waited on results. As soon as the morning light had rolled around, they had taken Dean in, needing to know for sure if he had been healed. After the service, Dean had been adamant that he felt a difference, and judging by how he no longer had to hobble along with a grimace, it seemed like Roy had truly done it. They needed to know for certain, however. They needed solid, undeniable proof.
Ariella had opted to wait outside, sheer exhaustion finally setting in after going nonstop for so long. She had been dozing in and out while she waited, though the thoughts plaguing her in the silence refused to let her fall into a relaxing slumber. Dean seemed to be healed, but no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that was a good thing, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Add that to the strange figure only she had seemed to see on the stage…it left Ariella tossing and turning with anxious thoughts.
While she laid back with her arm draped across her eyes, trying to block out the morning sun as best she could, she felt something knock against the bottom of her boot, startling her. She pulled her arm back to find Dean standing outside her car. She pulled her feet out of the window as he pulled the door open, pushing herself back up as he slid in. "Hey." She greeted groggily, rubbing at her eyes to try rousing herself. "So, what's the verdict?"
"There's no sign damage." He told her with a shrug. "I'm as healthy as a horse."
Ariella let her head drop to the headrest behind her, letting out a long sigh as a wave of relief washed over her. "Well, praise the Lord." She breathed out as a heavy weight suddenly lifted from her chest.
"Yeah, I don't think the Lord had anything to do with it." Dean commented sourly, not sounding cheerful for a guy who had just found out he was no longer dying.
Ariella rolled her head to the side to find a deep frown pulling down his mouth. "Me neither." She admitted before pulling her head back up. "Actually, Dean…there's something I should probably tell you." She said then, letting out another sigh. "When you were being healed, I saw something up on that stage with us….this old man…" she explained with a shake of her head. "I can't explain it, but when I saw him standing there I felt—" she said before cutting herself off as she realized how crazy she probably sounded. Her eyes drifted to the windshield as she let herself remember the coldness she had felt when he appeared….the emptiness.
"What?" Dean asked in concern, urging her to continue.
"Like death, Dean." She said, eyes snapping back over to him. "It felt like death."
"You think it was a spirit?" he questioned with furrowed brows.
"I don't know." She answered honestly, giving him a small shrug. "I just know it wasn't God."
"Yeah, well, you want to know something even freakier?" he asked then, causing her eyebrows to pull together in worry. "This guy dropped dead yesterday evening from a heart attack about the same time Roy was working his magic on me." He revealed. "Young…healthy…just drops out of nowhere." He said, giving a snap of his fingers. "I'm thinking that's not much of a coincidence."
"You think Le Grange is trading life for life?" she questioned, taking a moment to ponder the idea.
"One way to find out." Dean told her with a shrug. "Sammy's going to go check out the heart attack guy. Why don't we go pay Roy another visit."
"Yeah, okay." Ariella responded with a nod before reaching up and running a hand down the length of her face, scrubbing at it in an effort to wake herself up more.
"You want me to drive?" he then asked in concern, taking in the dark circles hanging under her eyes.
"I'm fine." Ariella replied briskly, reaching out to grab hold of the keys still sitting in the ignition before rolling them forward. She had them back on the road a few moments later, driving back to Roy's place so they could begin working out what the hell had actually happened up on that stage. Once they made it back, Ariella steered them into the barren lot, looking completely different now that the mass of cars and people were gone. They wouldn't be holding another service until that evening, which gave them plenty of time to do some sniffing around.
"Alright, here's the plan." Dean said as they pulled to a stop near the large house sitting in the back corner of the lot. "You keep them distracted why I do some digging around and see what secrets Roy's been hiding."
"Or." Ariella countered with an arched brow as she shut the engine down. "You do the distracting while I do the digging around. You're the one who was healed, Dean. Doesn't it make more sense to, oh I don't know, thank him for it…get him talking about what happened up there?"
Dean let out a grumble in response, knowing she was right. "Fine." He said before pushing the door open and stepping out. Ariella followed suit, and the two of them made their way up towards the house. The door was pulling open before they even made it to it, Roy's wife, Sue Ann, standing in the entry way with a warm smile. "Dean." She said as she took him in. "What a lovely surprise."
"Sorry about just dropping by like this." He said as he and Ariella pulled to a stop in front of the woman. "I was wondering if Roy was in? I've just been having a hard time making sense of what happened and was hoping he'd have a moment to speak to me."
"Yes, of course." Sue Ann told him in response, smile lifting higher as she pulled the door open wide enough to let them in. "Please, come in." Dean passed along a thanks as they stepped inside, eyes bouncing around the home as they came to a stop just inside the entryway. "Roy's just inside the living room." She explained after shutting the door and stepping around them.
They followed Sue Ann through the hall then, moving deeper into the house. Ariella's eyes swung around as they passed by a room to their right, gaze landing on what had to be Roy's office. She turned to give Dean an arched brow, figuring it would be the best place to start her search. He gave her a subtle nod in return before Sue Ann directed them around a corner, coming out to spacious room filled with plush furniture and the warm morning light. Roy was sitting in one of the large chairs facing the sun, and, as they stepped into the room, his mouth pulled up into a smile. "Welcome back, Dean." He said in greeting.
"Please, sit." Sue Ann told them, motioning towards the wide couch sitting opposite Roy. "I'll go grab something to drink." She said then before quickly slipping back out of the room.
Ariella followed behind Dean as they moved towards the sofa, both dropping themselves down on it. "It's so nice to see you again." Roy said once they were seated. "How have you been feeling?"
"I feel great." Dean told him honestly. "I'm just…uh…trying to make sense of what happened is all."
"A miracle is what happened." came Sue Ann's voice from the other end of the room, walking back in with a tray that held a pitcher of iced tea and cups. She set it down on the table between them all, quickly lifting one of the empty cups to fill it. "Miracles come so often around Roy." She said as she filled it before offering it out to Dean. Her eyes moved onto Ariella as he took it, quickly filling a cup for her as well. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced." She said, eyes dropping down to the ring still resting on Ariella's finger as she reached for the offered glass. "You must be Dean's wife."
The gulp Dean had been in the midst of swallowing sputtered back up into his glass at that, sending droplets splashing against his face. "Sorry." He muttered as he let out a cough. "Wrong pipe."
"Y-yes." Ariella said quickly, not having the will to explain her and Dean's complicated relationship with the deeply religious couple. "Ariella."
"How wonderful." Sue Ann said, flashing them a smile. "Such a young couple. How long have you been married?"
"Uh… two years." Ariella lied quickly. "Though sometimes it feels like we've been together forever."
"Right. Just your average happy couple here." Dean added, reaching out to wrap his arm around her. Ariella had to fight off the urge to roll his eyes at his awkwardness, keeping the smile plastered across her face instead.
"And how long into your marriage did you find out about Dean's health problems?" Sue Ann asked curiously as she dropped herself down into the chair beside her own husband.
"We actually only found out a few days ago." Ariella answered honestly. "There was…a freak accident." She chose to say. "He was electrocuted."
"Gracious." Sue Ann gasped, reaching up to place a hand against her heart in shock. "How awful that must have been."
"It was." Ariella responded, not having to fake the deep frown that washed over her features. "But thankfully I came across some articles talking about Roy's miracles and…well, here we are." She said, doing her best to snap a smile back in place.
"Speaking of which—" Dean interjected. "When did they start? The…uh…miracles."
"Woke up one morning stone blind." Roy told him. "Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So, we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but I told Sue Ann 'You just keep right on praying.'"
Ariella's gaze flicked over to Sue Ann, watching as a pained smile flashed across the woman's face. "I went into a coma." Roy continued. "Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did…and the cancer was gone. If it wasn't for my eyes—" he said then, reaching up to slip the dark shades off his face, revealing a set of cloudy eyes. "No one would believe I'd ever had it."
"And suddenly you could heal people?" Dean asked skeptically.
"I discovered it afterward, yes." Roy answered with a nod before pushing the glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "God's blessed me in many ways."
"His flock just swelled overnight." Sue Ann said proudly, wide smile lifting her face as her eyes swept from Roy to Dean and Ariella. "This is just the beginning."
"But why…" Dean said, licking his lips nervously. "Why me? Out of all the sick people…why save me?"
"Well, like I said before," Roy told him. "The Lord guides me. I looked into your heart and you…you just stood out from all the rest."
Dean jaw flexed in thought before it fell open again. "And what did you see in my heart?" he asked, sounding as if he genuinely needed the answer. Ariella's eyes fell on the side of his face, mouth tipping into a frown as she took in the sadness swirling behind his eyes.
"A young man with a purpose." Roy answered. "A job to do…and it ain't finished."
Ariella managed to pry her eyes away from Dean before flashing their hosts a tight smile. "I'm sorry to be a hinderance but could either of you point me in the direction of a bathroom?" she asked, knowing she needed to get looking around before they ran out of time.
"Straight down the hall you came from, hun." Sue Ann told her, lifting a finger towards the direction of it. "Second door on your right."
Ariella passed along a thanks before setting her glass of untouched tea down on the table as she stood. She caught eyes with Dean for the briefest of moments before she made her way back towards the hall. Once she was around the corner, she turned her head to make sure no one was looking before jogging towards the office, knowing she only had a short amount of time to look through things before they would become suspicious.
Once inside, she moved for the desk first, pulling the drawers open as quietly as she could. She rifled through the papers and things inside, looking for anything that would give them a clue. Unfortunately, nothing she came across seemed to be out of the ordinary. She finished scouring the desk before moving onto the bookshelves, running a finger along the spines as her eyes darted from title to title. Those, too, seemed to be nothing but ordinary books and religious texts, and, judging from the thick layer of dust clinging to the shelves, hadn't been touched in years.
She continued moving down the length of the shelf, pausing abruptly when she caught sight of a small, dust-free area. One book in particular seemed to have been pulled out recently, an Encyclopedia of Christian History. She pulled it from the shelf curiously, but before she had the chance to leaf through it, something tucked into the back of the spot she had pulled it from caught her eye. Her eyebrows pulled together as she reached for it, pulling out a slim leather-bound book. She slipped the encyclopedia back onto the shelf before flipping through the small book, it falling open to a page which had been marked with some newspaper cutouts. Her brows pulled together tighter as she took in the Latin writing within.
"What are you doing with occultist literature, Mr. Le Grange?" she whispered to herself as she flipped the page over, going still as her eyes swept over the image printed on the worn page. The dark hooded figure holding a scythe sent a chill up her spine, a horrid thought suddenly running through her mind at the sight of it. She snapped the book shut before tucking it into the side of her bra, having already spent too long digging around.
She moved for the door then, but just as she turned the corner, she came face-to-face with Sue Ann, causing her to jump in alarm. "Oh. Mrs. Le Grange." She said, smile snapping back in place in an instant. "I didn't mean to intrude." She said quickly before motioning to a large, framed piece of art hanging on the wall behind her. "I was just fascinated by the painting and had to get a closer look." She said in cover.
"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" Sue Ann said, eyes moving to the painting as she stepped around Ariella to walk closer. "It's called the Divine Mercy." she said as her eyes roamed across figure painted across the canvas. "Roy healed an art collector a few years back and he passed this along in his gratitude. A reproduction, of course, but still rather beautiful, isn't it?"
"It's Michael, isn't it?" Ariella asked, stepping up next to her." The Archangel?"
"Are you a woman of faith?" Sue Ann asked, eyes falling back on Ariella curiously. "I know your husband's not really a believer, but what about you? It was you who brought him here, after all, wasn't it?"
"I…" Ariella said, not sure if she should come up with a lie or not. "I was willing to have faith in anything if it meant curing Dean."
She watched as a small smile pulled up the corner of Sue Ann's mouth at that. "Behind every man facing tribulation is a woman facing even more." She hummed in thought. "You know, when Roy got sick, I underwent my own test of faith." She admitted then, eyes moving back to the canvas. "Watching the man you love become nothing but a shell of himself…it…it's harder to endure than cancer itself."
Ariella nodded her head as a small frown threatened to pull down her fake smile. "It is." She said in somber agreement.
"God saw fit to reward my perseverance, though." Sue Ann continued with a tip of her head, eyes falling back on her. "As he saw fit to reward yours."
Ariella gave her a tight smile at that. "Praise the Lord for miracles, I suppose."
She and Dean made their excuses to leave shortly after that, slipping back outside after giving Roy and Sue Ann a final thanks for their time. "Anything?" Dean asked as they slipped back into the privacy of the Firebird.
Ariella dropped herself down into the driver's seat before reaching into the neckline of her shirt and pulling out the book. "I think I figured out how Roy's seemingly trading lives." She said, flipping the book open to the image she had seen earlier. "I think we're dealing with a Reaper." she said, holding it out for him to see.
"A Reaper?" Dean repeated in shock, reaching out to take the book from her. "You can't be serious."
"It makes sense." She reasoned with a shrug. "Only one thing can dictate life and death like this, and I'm telling you…that man I saw…he wasn't just any old spirit." She said before reaching out and starting the engine.
"Great." Dean breathed out angrily. "So, you're telling me I'm only healed because some Reaper killed someone else?"
"Dean, we couldn't have known." She sighed with a deep frown. "And if it hadn't been you, then it'd have been someone else."
"Ari, a man is dead because of me!" Dean bit out harshly. "I should have never let you and Sam bring me here!"
"We were just trying to save you!" Ariella defended with a huff. "Look, I am sorry that man died, but I will not apologize for bringing you here. If we hadn't, you'd still have one foot in the grave."
"Let's just meet back up with Sammy and figure this out." He said stiffly, pulling his phone out to, presumably, shoot Sam a text. Ariella watched him write out the text for a moment before pulling her eyes away with an angry breath as she switched the car into gear and began driving them away. He could be mad all wanted. Despite how it had happened, Dean was alive….and she refused to apologize for that.
Sam, however, had been more than forthcoming with his own apologies. "I'm sorry." He blurted as soon as Ariella and Dean made it to the motel he had given them the address to, having booked a room after checking in on the man who had died in Dean's stead.
"Sorry for what exactly?" Dean asked as they walked further into the room, Ariella letting the door fall shut behind them.
"Marshall Hall." Sam said lowly, eyes moving from the laptop he was stationed in front of up to Dean. "He died at 4:17. I think you're right." He said, eyes moving onto Ariella then. "Roy is trading lives for lives." He said before dropping his eyes down beside him, gathering up a stack of papers he had printed out. "I put together a list of everyone he's healed—six people over the last year….and I cross-checked them with the local obits." He said, holding the papers out towards them. Dean reached out to take them from him, eyes scanning over the obituary columns as he spoke. "Every time someone else was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom Le Grange was healing at the time. Somehow, he's trading one life for another. I just don't get how he's doing it."
"He's not doing it." Ariella said with a sigh, reaching into her jacket pocket to pull out the book she had stolen from Roy's office. "He's got a Reaper doing it for him." She said, tossing the book to him.
"Like the black cloak wearing, scythe carrying Reaper?" Sam asked in confusion as he flipped through the journal for himself.
"No, not the Reaper…a Reaper." She corrected. "When we were up on that stage while Dean fell unconscious, I saw something standing behind Roy…and I'm telling you, the feeling I got when I saw—" she said having to shake away the memory of it. "Sam, only one thing can give and take life like that. I think Roy found a way to control death by binding a Reaper."
"Wait." Sam said having to let out a scoff of disbelief. "Like angel of Death, collect your soul, the whole deal? How's that even possible?"
"Dark magic and a whole lot of stupid." Ariella answered before walking towards the table he had been sitting at and dropping herself down into the chair opposite him. "It's like trying to keep a lion on a leash."
"Try a Great White." Dean interjected with an arched brow as he slipped his jacket off.
"How do you even know about Reapers?" Sam asked then then, confused eyes moving between the two of them.
"Bobby's got a large collection of books." Ariella answered with a shrug. "And I happened to get bored frequently." She told him, having read through every piece of lore Bobby had at least twice.
"What I don't get though, is that you can't see Reapers unless they're coming at you." Dean commented, having learned about them through Ariella years ago. "How did you manage to see it?" he asked, confused eyes falling on Ariella.
"I don't know." She answered with a shrug. "By sheer chance?" she guessed.
"Maybe." Dean agreed with a dip of his lip before pulling his gaze back over to Sam. "It's got to be a Reaper, Sam. The only question is how Roy's controlling the damn thing."
"The cross." Sam said, tapping on the page he had the book open on before holding it up for them to see. "I've seen this cross before." He said, pointing out the image of the unique cross printed within. "I noticed it in the church tent."
"Okay, so we go back and figure out how to break whatever binding spell Roy's managed to conjure." Ariella surmised.
"Or, we just stop Roy the old fashioned way." Dean supplied with a shrug.
"What? Like kill him?" Ariella asked, turning to give him a shocked expression.
"What the hell are you talking about? We can't kill Roy!" Sam said, equally shocked by the proposition.
"The guy's playing God—choosing who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book."
"We're not going to kill a human being, Dean!" Sam maintained.
"He's right." Ariella agreed with a nod. "We do that and we're no better than him." She reasoned.
"Okay, then how do you propose we sever Roy's hold over this thing?" Dean huffed in defeat.
"If it's black magic, then they'll likely be some sort of alter or something keeping the spell intact. We have another look around the house while they're busy with the next service and see if we can find it. If we can destroy it, then maybe we can break the link."
"So, when's the next service?" Sam asked, eyes flicking from her over to Dean in worry.
"Tonight." She sighed, knowing they had another long, sleepless night ahead of them. "We go back and try to find it tonight."