Sam wouldn't tell me what happened, only that Dean was really hurt. He came to the motel and sped back to a hospital, it had to be bad if we went to the hospital. Dean never goes to hospitals. Sam didn't even let me walk inside, he carried me. He put me in one of the waiting chairs and ran to the front desk, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Sam relaxed a little before walking back over to me; he was taking his time, like he was trying to come up with what to say before he got to me. He plopped himself into the chair beside me with a heavy sigh. We sat there in silence for almost an hour before a doctor walked in, causing Sam to jump to his feet, "You can go see him, but take it easy. He can't be getting too hyped up," the doctor warned before leading us to Dean's room. He looked horrible, he had dark circles under his eyes; which were much more noticable because he was so pale. Dean didn't look away from the TV when we walked in. "Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible," he even sounded horrible... Sam shook his head with a sigh, "I talked to your doctor..." Sam started, but Dean interrupted him, "That fabric softener teddy bear. Oh, I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down." Sam gave him a look, "Dean," his voice was quiet. I didn't like the way Sam used that tone, he never used that tone on Dean, who was looking at Sam now. "Yeah. All right, well, looks like you're gonna leave town without me," Dean said as he turned the TV off. Was Dean gonna die? "What are you talking about? I'm not gonna leave you here," Sam sounded confident in that. Dean looked at Sam seriously, "Hey, you better take care of that car. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your ass." Sam gave him a look, "I don't think that's funny," Sam told him. "Oh, come on, it's a little funny," Dean smiled. I continued to stare at the floor, there was a sigh from Dean. "Look, Sammy, what can I say, man, it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story." I bit my lip, "Don't talk like that, alright? We still have options," Sam snapped. "What options? Yeah, burial or cremation. And I know it's not easy. But I'm gonna die. And you can't stop it." I sniffled, gaining the two's attention. "C'mere Chris," Dean told me, leaning a bit closer a bit with an open arm. I dropped Sylvester and ran over to Dean, throwing my arms around his neck. I had to get on my tiptoes to reach. Dean picked me up and pulled me on his lap. "It's okay Chris, let it out," was all Dean had to say before I curled up in a ball on his lap and broke.
I stayed for as long as the nurses let me, but eventually Sam brought me back to the motel. Sam was digging through Dad's journal and typing on the laptop nonstop. He was on the phone at the moment though, Sam waited for a while before he started talking, "Hey, Dad. It's Sam. Uh...you probably won't even get this, but, uh...it's Dean. He's sick, and uh...the doctors say there's nothing they can do. Um...but, uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, cause I'm uh...gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. Alright...just wanted you to know," he sounded close to crying as he hung up the phone and tossed the phone onto the bed beside me. I was hugging my knees with my back to the headboard. There was a knock on the door, Sam answered it, "What the hell are you doing here?" there were a lot of tones mixed into the question. "I checked myself out," I heard, was that Dean? "What, are you crazy?" judging by Sam's tone and seeing who it was pushing himself into the room, it was Dean. "Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot," Dean joked as he leaned on everything in the room for support. Sam huffed a laugh as he closed the door, "You know, this whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. I can see right through it." Sam said, crossing his arms. Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever, dude. Have you even slept? You both look worse than me," he told Sam before he glanced at me. Sam helped him to the bed I was perched on, "I've been scouring the Internet for the last three days. Calling every contact in Dad's journal," Sam told him as Dean flopped onto the bed. "For what?" Dean asked as he adjusted himself. "For a way to help you. One of Dad's friends, Joshua, he called me back. Told me about a guy in Nebraska. A specialist," Sam informed, I'd heard him talking to this guy earlier, it'd woken me up from my nap. "You're not gonna let me die in peace, are you?" Dean sighed as he said it. "I'm not gonna let you die, period. We're going," Sam told him firmly with a grin on his face. I wasn't sure this was going to work, but we could try.
Sam and Dean decided to bring me along for this one, due to it basically being a church. There were a lot of people here, going into a huge white tent in a field. Sam parked the car and got out to help Dean out. "I got ya," Sam told Dean, who swatted at him, "I got it," he snapped. I got out of the car and closed the door, "Man, you are a lying bastard. Thought you said we were going to see a doctor," Dean said as he grabbed my hand and started heading towards the tent, it was pretty muddy. There was a sign near it, 'The Church of Roy LeGrange. Faith Healer. Witness The Miracle'. "I believe I said a specialist. Look, Dean, this guy's supposed to be the real deal," Sam told him as he jogged after us. "I can't believe you brought me here to see some guy who heals people out of a tent," Dean snapped, sending Sam a glare. An older woman walked past us, "Reverend LeGrange is a great man," she told us, never stopping. Dean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that's nice." That was just before we passed by an man arguing with a cop, "I have a right to protest. This man is a fraud. And he's milking all these people out of their hard-earned money," the guy was saying. "Sir, this is a place of worship. Let's go. Move it," the cop sounded agitated as he escorted the man away. "I take it he's not part of the flock," Dean joked. "But when people see something they can't explain, there's controversy," Sam reasoned. "I mean, come on, Sam, a faith healer?" I could tell Dean would rather be in the motel room; honestly, so did I. "Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean," I internally rolled my eyes at Sam. "You know what I've got faith in? Reality. Knowing what's really going on," Dean tapped his temple with his free hand. "How can you be a skeptic? With the things we see everyday?" Sam raised his voice a bit. "Exactly. We see them, we know there real," Dean argued. "But if you know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too?" I think I preferred this argument over other one's they've had. "Because I've seen what evil does to good people," Dean snapped. A woman, who must've been eavesdropping, butted in, "Maybe God works in mysterious ways." Dean turned to look at her, "Maybe he does. I think you just turned me around on the subject," Dean had a grin on his face. I rolled my eyes and I had a feeling Sam did too, "Yeah, I'm sure," she sounded a bit skeptical as well. Dean let go of my hand to offer it to her, "I'm Dean. This is Sam and Chris," Dean introduced as she took his hand, "Layla. So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?" she asked, I moved to Sam's side and took his hand. "Well, apparently my brother here believes enough for the both of us." An older woman walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Come on, Layla. It's about to start," she told her quietly before giving us a smile and walked inside the tent. Dean watched her walk in before turning back at us, "Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways," Sam slapped his shoulder with the back of his hand before we all walked into the tent. There was a sign just outside that read, 'Welcome All Faiths. True Believers Revival'.
Everyone inside was trying to find a seat close to the stage, which was pretty small. "Yeah, peace, love, and trust all over," Dean muttered looking at a corner, there was a camera. Dean and I tried to sit in the back, but Sam wrapped an arm around him and pushed us as far as he could to sit by the stage. "Come on," Sam urged as he dragged him over. "Don't! What are you doing? Let's sit here," Dean protested. "We're sitting up front," Sam informed as I trailed after them. "What? Why?" Dean questioned, Sam only rolled his eyes, "Come on." I could tell Dean was internally groaning, "Oh, come on, Sam," Dean all but growled. "You alright?" Sam stopped. "This is ridiculous," Dean snapped as he swatted at Sam, "I'm good, dude, get off me." Sam returned his hands back to his sides and pointed to a few empty seats behind the two women we'd talked to outside. "Perfect," Sam announced as he nudged Dean. "Yeah, perfect," Dean said sarcastically. Sam moved to sit first, "You take the aisle," Sam told Dean, so I sat between them. This was going to be so boring. A man in dark sunglasses walked on stage, he was escorted by an old woman. "Each morning, my wife, Sue Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" the man started. There were a ton of people mumbling their agreements, I guessed he was the Reverend. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act, but, I say to you, God is watching." The crowd kept mumbling, I didn't want to be here. "God rewards the good, and He punishes the corrupt," the crowd kept nodding and speaking their agreeements. "It is the Lord who does the healing here friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts," he went on. How do people sit through stuff like this every week? It's so boring. I knew I should've brought my book. Dean leaned over me, "Yeah, and into their wallets," he told Sam quietly. "You think so, young man?" the Reverend asked, everyone went silent. Dean gave a short apology, causing him to smile, "No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears," he informed, causing the crowd to laugh. "What's your name, son?" Dean cleared his throat before answering, "Dean." The man nodded, "Dean. I want-I want you to come up here with me." That caused the crowd to erupt into cheers and clapping, the woman who helped him on stage stood in the center and smiled at him, "No, it's ok," Dean told him as he shook his head. "What are you doing?!" Sam whisper yelled. "You've come here to be healed, haven't cha?" the man sounded confused. Dean hesitated before answering, "Well, yeah, but ahh... maybe you should just pick someone else." The crowd was clapping and crying out encouragements as Dean talked. "Oh, no. I didn't pick you, Dean, the Lord did." The crowd got louder, "That's right! Yeah! Come on!" They were yelling. Sam reached over me and gave Dean a little shove, "Get up there!" Dean hesitantly got up and walked toward the stage, the woman helped him on stage and move beside the guy. The man and Dean spoke for a moment, I couldn't hear them until the old guy spoke up, "Pray with me, friends," he said as he lifted one hand and put the other on Dean's shoulder. The crowd followed suit and raised their arms and grabbed hands to those on either side of them. "Alright now. Alright now," the man was saying, as Dean's eyes glazed over. Not long after that he fell to his knees, "Alright, now," the man went on. Dean shook for a moment before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell completely onto the stage. Sam jumped up and moved in front of me and ran to the stage, "Dean!" I was frozen, staring at Dean still crumpled on the stage as the crowd clapped excitedly. Sam grabbed the front of Dean's hoodie, causing his eyes to snap open as he gasped for air. "Say Something!" I heard Sam cry out. I couldn't see Dean's face due to Sam being in the way, but it wasn't long before Sam was helping Dean off the stage and back to the car. I ran after them, still hearing the crowd cheering as we left.
"So, you really feel okay?" Sam asked again, for the third time since we'd gotten into the hospital yesterday. "I feel fine, Sam," Dean answered again, for the third time, sounded more agitated than the last time. We all looked at the doorway as the doctor walked in, looking over papers on a clipboard, "Well, according to all your tests there's nothing wrong with your heart. No sign there ever was. Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but, still it's strange it does happen," he told us as he looked up. "What do you mean, strange?" Dean questioned. "Well, just yesterday, a young guy like you, twenty-seven, athletic. Out of nowhere, heart attack," the doctor informed us. Dean nodded, "Thanks, Doc." The doctor started heading towards the door, "No problem," he said as he left. "That's odd," Dean looked at Sam. "Maybe it's a coincidence. People's hearts give out all the time, man," Sam dismissed. Dean gave him a look, "No, they don't." Sam sighed, I sensed an argument coming, "Look, Dean, do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Why can't we just be thankful that the guy saved your life and move on?" Sam asked. "Because I can't shake this feeling, that's why," Dean snapped at him as he pulled at his hair, I picked up a little backpack Dean had gotten for me and pulled out my history book on World War II. "What feeling?" Sam asked as I opened the book to the page I'd been on, revealing an old picture of Sergeant James Barnes and Captain Steve Rogers laughing. "When I was healed, I just...I felt wrong. I felt cold. And for a second...I saw someone. This, uh, this old man. And I'm telling you, Sam, it was a spirit," Dean whisper yelled since the door was still open. "But if there was something there, Dean, I think I would've seen it, too. I mean, I've been seeing an awful lot of things lately," Sam argued. "Well, excuse me, psychic wonder. But you're just gonna need a little faith on this one. Sam, I've been hunting long enough to trust a feeling like this," Dean snapped at him again. Sam sighed, "Yeah, alright. So, what do you wanna do?" Sam asked. "I want you to go check out the heart attack guy and drop Chris off at the motel. I'm gonna visit the reverend," Dean ordered, I put my bookmark back in my book and put it back into the backpack. I guess it could wait until I got back to the motel.
Sam dropped me off, but didn't stick around for more than two minutes before he was out the door again. So, I perched myself on the couch with Animal Planet playing as I read through my book. Sam was the first to come back almost two hours later, and went straight to his laptop. He looked troubled. Dean showed up a few minutes later, throwing his keys next to me on the bed. "Good book?" Dean asked as he took off his jacket. I nodded, "It's so cool that science can do that to a person," I told Dean as I showed him the side-by-side comparison of Steve Rogers before and after a serum. Dean patted my head, "Keep reading, you get smarter that way," Dean told me before looking back at Sam. "So, what'd you find out?" he asked, tossing his jacket onto the bed on his keys. "I'm sorry," Sam's voice was quiet. "Sorry about what?" Dean asked as he walked over to the small dinner table. "Marshall Hall died at 4:17." Sam's voice was still quiet. "The exact time I was healed," Dean rubbed his face and sat down. "Yeah. So, I put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and I cross-checked them with the local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the same symptom LeGrange was healing at the time," Sam informed quietly. I got up, marking my place in my book before going to the bathroom. I didn't want to hear any of this. The two waited until I went into the bathroom before they started talking again, quietly. It was muffled enough by the door so I didn't hear it. I brushed my hair, my teeth, and even braided my hair a few times. I put a ponytail at the end of the braid and walked out of the bathroom as Sam was talking, "You really think it's THE Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?" Both of them were sitting at the table now. "No no no, not the reaper, A reaper. There's reaper law in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names, it's possible that there's more than one of them." Dean told him, I was tempted to go back into the bathroom, but I wanted my book. "But you said you saw a dude in a suit," Sam sounded confused. "What, you think he shoulda been working the whole black robe thing?....You said it yourself that the clock stopped right? Reapers stop time. And you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why I could see it and you couldn't," Dean came to the realization as I pickekd up my book. "Maybe," Sam didn't seem so sure. "There's nothing else it could be Sam. The question is how is Roy controlling the damn thing?" Dean sounded fustrated. "That cross..." Sam wondered, I started back to the bathroom, "What?" Dean questioned, looking back at Sam. Sam produced a card and handed it to Dean with a small, "Here." I closed the bathroom door again as Dean confusedly asked, "A Tarot?" I busied myself with sitting by the sink and picking back up where I'd left off in my book, but it wasn't long until someone was knocking on the bathroom door, "Chris?" it sounded like Dean. I put my bookmark in my book and got up, opening the door. "We're done talking if you want to read on a bed or something instead of on the floor," Dean told me. I raised my arms, and my book, above my head, "Carry me." Dean rolled his eyes and put me on his hip before walking over to the bed and flopping me onto it. I made an 'oof' sound as I bounced up a couple times. Sam walked over, "You braided your hair?" he asked as he picked up the end of it. I nodded my head, causing him to give a small smile, "It looks good," he told me. Dean nodded his head, "Yeah, good job kiddo," Dean patted my head again. "We're gonna have to leave you here for a couple hours, I don't want you anywhere near this case okay?" Dean told me seriously. That was not a problem, I nodded my head again, "As long as you bring food when you come back," I told them. Dean grinned, "That's my girl. Cheeseburger?" I nodded my head. "I'll get you one on the way back," Dean promised as he grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. I sat up and watched them head for the door, "We'll be back in a couple hours," Dean told me before he closed the door behind he and Sam. I gave a sigh and picked up my book, putting it on the couch as I sat on it to watch Animal Planet until they came back.
As promised, Sam and Dean came back an hour and a half later carrying a styrofoam take-out container. "Your burger," Dean told me as he set the container in front of me. I chirped out a small thanks as Sam sat on the bed. "So Roy really believes," Sam mused. Dean walked over, "I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing," Dean agreed. Sam dug into his pocket, "Well, I found this," Sam handed Dean a little book, "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," Sam informed, I took a bite from my burger. It was one of the best I'd had in a while. "Must be a hell of a spell," I tried to put all of my focus onto the burger instead of their conversation. "Yeah. You gotta build a black alter with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross a line like that, a preachers wife. Black magic. Murder. Evil," I was loosing my appetite. Thanks Sam. "Desperate. Her husband was dying, she didn't have anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy," Dean realized. "Cheating death, literally," Sam mused again. Dean nodded his head, "Yeah but Roy's alive, so why is she still using the spell?" I put down my burger and started picking at my fries. "Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral," Sam nodded his head this time. "May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work," Dean muttered as he rubbed his face. "We gotta break that binding spell Dean." Dean was looking at the book, "You know Sue Ann had a coptic cross like this. When she dropped it the reaper backed off," Dean informed absently. "So you think we gotta find the cross or destroy the alter?" Sam got up. "Maybe both. Whatever we do we better do it soon, or he's healing Layla tonight," Dean said seriously. "Chris, we'll be back." Dean told me as he closed the book and shoved it into his pocket. I swallowed my fry and got up, running over the two to hug their legs before he left. I didn't like this case and hoped this would be the last of it. "We'll be back Chris," Dean told me. Sam added a short, "Promise," to the sentence. For some reason, it made me feel a bit better. I watched them pull away through the window before I went back to my food. I was halfway through my burger when a figure appeared on the couch beside me. "Hi there!" I almost choked on my food, causing him to pat my back. "Chew before you swallow," he scolded playfully, his voice had an Irish accent. I stared at him, he looked.... weird... He had bright blue hair and eyes, but what was weird were the wings on his back, they were feathered like an angel. The wings were also blue, the same shade as his hair and eyes. "My name is Blue, what's yours?" he asked, he sounded like a very excited person. "Chris..." I told him slowly, "How did you get in here and what are you?" I asked next. "I'm your imaginary friend!" he enthused. I raised an eyebrow, "Okay..." I was so confused, why? "Let's play a game!" Blue exclaimed, bringing his legs up to sit criss-cross and turning his body to face me. "Okay?" I was still confused. "Let's play questions," he smiled after I nodded my head. "Okay, so the game is asking questions to get to know the other person," he informed me, it sounded easy enough...
We played the game for almost an hour and a half before Sam and Dean got back. I learned that Blue's favorite color was actually red, he liked to tell stories, he hated vegetables, and a bunch of other things. He also told me that he was not a reaper, I'd asked. Dean walked in while Blue was mid-sentence, "We're back Chris," they both looked exhausted. "Go take a shower before Dean hogs all the hot water again," Sam told me, nodding head in the direction of the bathroom. So, was Blue really imaginary? Neither Sam nor Dean acknowledged him... Blue waved his hands in a 'shoo' motion, "I'll still be here when you get out," Blue assured me. They didn't seem to hear him either. I took a quick shower and put on a different pair of pajamas, true to his word, Blue was still on the couch. Sam and Dean were talking quietly inbetween the two beds. Dean noticed me first, "We're gonna be heading out first thing," he informed, causing Sam to turn around. "I call the shower," Sam told him as he grabbed his duffle and went to the bathroom. Dean rolled his eyes, "Why do I always get the shower last?" Dean wondered as I went back to the couch to sit beside Blue, "Because you take forever." Dean gave me an offended look, "I do not!" he defended. Blue laughed until Dean rolled his eyes, "Bed time then," Dean told me. I rolled my eyes and got up from the couch, "I'll sleep here," Blue informed as I laid down on the bed and curled up into a ball.
I woke up the next morning to Dean dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. "What is it?" Sam asked, Dean seemed to snap out of it, "Nothing," he dismissed. I sat up and got out of bed, "What is it?" Sam asked, sounding more gentle. I had a feeling they were waiting on me to leave, so I got up to pack my stuff. That was when I noticed my duffle neatly packed on the table with Blue sitting beside it. So he was real...ish. "We did the right thing here didn't we?" Dean asked, Blue noticed I was up and a smile returned to his face, he was wearing the same jeans and white shirt he'd been wearing yesterday. "I left out your hair and toothbrush in the bathroom. Can I braid your hair?" he questioned, I gave a small nod, causing him to clap his hands excitedly and all but run to the bathroom. "Of course we did," Sam told Dean as I closed the bathroom door, muffling their speech. Blue picked up the hairbrush as I picked up my toothbrush. He untangled all the knots as I brushed my teeth, a focused look on his face as he did so. A few minutes after I finished brushing my teeth, he started with the braid. He didn't do a regular braid though, I wasn't sure what it was. When Blue finished, he put a ponytail in it and took a step back, "Ta-dah!" he exclaimed as he admired his work, "A french braid." He told me, sounding very pleased with himself. "Thanks Blue," I said as I picked up both my hair and toothbrush. Blue and I walked out of the bathroom as a woman from the case left the room. Dean was staring at the door as it closed behind her. "I'll go wait in the car for you," Blue informed me before he disappeared. I walked up behind Dean and grabbed his hand, he looked down at me and wiped the emotion off his face, "Let's go short stack."
If anyone is up to making some fanart for a visual representation for Blue, tag me in it. There will be a chapter at the end containing all pieces.