Dean entered the room as Sam had wanted to follow a lead he’d discovered alone. “Kid, I’m back. Ready for some more Back to the Future?” Dean asked, clapping his hands together. He licked his lips with excitement that disappeared when she wasn’t there. “Kid?” He asked, looking around.
He heard weeping and frantically ran through the room. He couldn’t see her anywhere he looked, “Kid?!” He shouted, and traced the crying to the bathroom. He tried the door, it was locked. He slammed his shoulder into the door, the wood not caving. Dean dropped to the ground, checking for shadows under the door, none appeared and he scrambled to his feet. He backed away a couple steps and lifted his foot. He slammed the heel of his foot into the doorknob, the door flew open, slamming into the wall.
Dean saw the creature before he saw Leila. His eyes widened as he realized it was the same one that had disappeared on him when he was washing his face. He pulled the gun out from the back of his pants, shooting it with the rock salt bullet after cocking it. The creature disappeared with a nasty hiss, the black smoke going away after a second or two.
“Kid?” Dean breathed, seeing the faintest of line of blonde hair poking out from the bathtub. He rushed over, looking over the bathtub that was stained crimson with Leila’s blood.
“Oh god…” Dean whispered, taking the bloody razor out of her hands and throwing it to the side.
“Dean!” Leila shouted, “No!” She said, collapsing in a heap of sobs. She crawled out of the bathtub, going towards the blade. Her pale figure nearly crumpled to the ground, in spite of all the blood she’d lost.
Dean grabbed her carefully and sat on the ground, pulling her on top of him. She struggled against him but he held on, nothing to shield his ears from Leila’s cussing and screaming. “Don’t do this.” Dean said, holding her close.
“I need to,” Leila croaked, stopping her struggling. She’d been stopped again from ending the life she never wanted. Her head fell into her hands, her palms pressing into her eye lids. Tears flowed no matter how much she didn’t want them to. “I want to be dead.” She whispered.
“Why?” Dean asked, remembering Sam telling him to talk to her.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Leila admitted, sobbing into Dean’s chest.
“You’re sixteen, sweetheart,” Dean panted. It was as if in the heat of the moment, while stopping her, he’d stopped breathing. “It gets better.” Even if Dean didn’t truly believe that, he could at least convince her it did.
“That’s bull,” Leila sobbed, “Nothing gets better.”
“Come on,” Dean said, trying to lighten the mood, “Just wait until you have sex for the first time. Mmm, trust me, you’ll want to stay.”
“I don’t want that, Dean,” Leila said, sniffling, “I want to be dead, and I should be already.”
“Yeah, speaking of that, let’s get you patched up,” Dean said, not waiting for her answer before standing up with her in his arms. He carried her shaking figure to the bed she’d slept on the night before. “Stay there, and stay out of the bathroom.” He said, shaking a finger at her like a mother.
Leila let a soft scoff out and looked at her arm, she’d been so close. So close to finally being happy. She sighed, looking back at Dean. He walked over with thread, a needle and gauze. He sat beside her, putting the medical supplies down. He gently took her arm, Leila bit her lip while wincing. Dean bit his lip as well, “Sorry, this might hurt.” He whispered.
He raised the needle, trying desperately to thread it. “Damn it…” He mumbled. “Sam usually does this.” He continued attempting until Leila reached out and took the sewing supplies from him. She threaded the needle and handed it back to him. “Your fingers are smaller than mine…” Dean justified, beginning to slowly stitching her arm up.
Leila bit her lip, turning away from her arm. She couldn’t even watch herself get immunizations at school, and that was only a syringe. One simple puncture of her skin. The stitching was multiple punctures made her sick just thinking about it. She closed her eyes, turning her head not being sufficient enough for her.
After a couple of minutes, Leila stopped feeling the small prickling on her arm. “Alright, you can look if you want.” Dean said, he took the gauze and carefully wrapped her newly stitched arm. “You’ll need to look at that in a week or so and see whether I can remove the stitching or not.” He diagnosed.
“Thank you,” Leila said, looking back at the elder Winchester. She gave him a tight hug, not even thinking about the action before doing it.
“Um, you’re welcome,” Dean made an awkward face, not used to having arms around him. He clumsily wrapped his arms around her. After a couple of seconds, they pulled away. “Now, I need to know.”
“Yes?” Leila asked.
“Hot chocolate or tea?” Dean asked with a small smile.
*****
Sam drove back to the hotel. He knew the roar of the Impala well, but rarely did he ever drive the old car. He pulled the car into the parking spot in front of their room and got out. He closed the door behind him. Leila was sitting on the couch, drinking a mug of a warm liquid. He saw Dean at the stove, waiting for a kettle.
“Dean?” Sam began, frowning.
“Keys, now,” Dean said, looking at his brother.
“What?” Sam asked, looking at Dean and meeting his eyes.
“Keys, now.” Dean repeated, sounding stressed and stretching his hand out.
Sam tossed Dean the keys and Dean pushed his backside off of the counter. He caught the keys and grabbed his jacket, looking to Leila.
“Okay, come on, kid,” Dean said, slipping his jacket on and walking out the door.
“Um…” Leila got up quickly and put her mug of hot chocolate down. She gave Sam an awkward look over her shoulder, he proceeded to nod and allow her to go. She closed the door behind her, trotting behind where Dean had gone. “Dean, what are we doing?” Leila asked.
“Going for a drive,” Dean replied, getting into the Impala with a creak of the door. He looked at Leila, whom he’d left outside and raised an eyebrow, motioning with his hands to the shotgun seat.
Leila moistened her lips and walked around the car, getting into the passenger side. She looked to the elder Winchester again. “Okay, seriously, where are we going?” Leila asked.
Dean stuck the key in the ignition, not replying as he turned to back out of the parking spot. He drove a little ways, the sound of the engine being the only sound that filled the old car. “So, what kind of music do you like?” Dean asked, breaking the silence.
“What?” Leila asked, turning towards him again. She’d absent mindedly leaned her elbow on the edge of the window, her cheek leaning against her palm.
“What kind of music do you like?” Dean repeated, “I don’t do this often, and I swear if you say anything country I will kick your ass.”
“Well… I like a lot of different music,” Leila replied. “People think most of it’s crap.”
“Let’s try this…” Dean began, “What’s your favourite band?”
“Oh, Queen, all the way,” Leila replied, a small smile on her face. “Best band ever.”
“Oh yes!” Dean stressed, pulling the car over when it was okay to. “I knew there was something I liked about you, kid!” He leaned behind Leila’s seat, grabbing a cardboard box. He ruffled through the box of…
“Cassette tapes?” Leila asked, a humoured grin replacing the shy smile that was on her lips.
“Of course,” Dean said with a scoff. “Aha!” He pulled one of the many cassette tapes out of the box. He leaned back and replaced where the cardboard box had been.
“What are you doing?” Leila asked with a soft sigh.
Dean didn’t answer once again, instead he shoved the cassette into the player. The sound of Freddie Mercury’s sweet voice singing is this the real life? filled the car and Leila grinned.
“Oh my god, I love this song!” Leila said with excitement.
“Caught in a landslide, to escape from reality!” Dean yelled along with the song. Like Leila, Dean couldn’t sing well no matter how hard he tried.
“You’re insane!” Leila exclaimed, laughing.
“Come on, sweetheart!” Dean exclaimed with laughter in the pause of the music. “You know you want to sing!”
Leila shook her head, going against her better judgment as she laughed and sang along. “Mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he’s dead!” She yelled as loud as Dean had.
Dean laughed along with her. “Yes!” He exclaimed, “You’re a much better shotgun than Sam!”
The two sang along, pausing at parts to let their laughter out. They both paused with a silenced excitement, knowing that the best part of the song was coming. Dean had the biggest childish grin on his face that Leila had ever seen on a grown man.
“I see a little silhouetto of a man!” Dean yelled.
“Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the fandango?” Leila yelled after him.
They continued singing - er - yelling and laughing. When the time came, Leila took the higher of the galileo’s and Dean took the lower of the two. They both tried to hit the note that they both knew neither could. In the process, they nearly made the other one’s ears bleed in doing so. They finished the song and Dean turned the stereo off; it took the two several minutes for them to stop laughing.
“Oh…” Dean said, wiping a tear of laughter away. “That was awesome.”
Leila looked at him in a way she hadn’t before. When she’d gotten in the car, she knew Dean Winchester as the man that had literally saved her life; even if she hadn’t wanted him to. But that was the only thing he’d done that really stood out to her. Every other time she’d been in the same room as him he’d been a douchebag, for lack of a better term. She now had a different perspective of him, one she liked much better. That almost never happened when she had an impression of somebody.
“Now,” Dean said, suddenly snapped back to the person he was before he’d gotten into the car; and very unlike his Bohemian Rhapsody self. Dean pulled the Impala over again and got out. He shut the door behind him and walked to the front of the car, sitting down on the hood gently. He turned around, looking at Leila through the windshield. “Are you coming?”
Leila’s eyes widened slightly and she got out, closing the door behind her. She walked over to Dean, clutching her sides that were covered with a loose hoodie. “Yes?” She asked softly.
“Sit,” Dean said, patting the metal beside where he sat. “I don’t normally do this either, so take the offer while it still stands.”
Leila obliged and sat down. “What’s all this for, Dean?” She asked, “I thought you hated me.”
Dean buried his hands into his into his jean pockets, the extra length of his leather jacket rested comfortably on his forearms. He was trying to find the right words to say, but for once in his life, he was unable to speak. Finally, he asked what was nipping at the back of his mind. “Why would - is that why you tried?” He stumbled, looking at her.
Leila shifted uncomfortably, “What do you mean?” She questioned, although she knew exactly what he meant.
“Because you thought I hated you?” Dean said as more of a question than an answer.
Leila shook her head sadly, even though she was lying, she knew she had to convince him that she wasn’t. “I just couldn’t handle it, Dean. You don’t know what it’s like, feeling alone in a place you’re supposed to feel secure.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” Dean admitted, “I had it alright with Dad and Sam. But I do know how to listen. You should have come to me instead of trying to do yourself in. I’ve seen a lot of crap, things that you couldn’t even imagine.”
Leila teared up a little, looking away. “You know, back at home,” Leila began, “Nobody knew what kind of problems I had. Why would they? I mean, my friend killed himself, and nobody knew what the cause was. Nobody had a damn clue about anything.
“One day,” Leila continued, tears falling down her cheeks, “I got a text from a friend, saying she wanted to kill herself. This was after my other friend did so. Long story short, I talked her out of it by crying over a phone call to her. Ever since then, I’ve been having suicidal thoughts. So, one night I snuck out and drove myself to the pharmacy after I’d gotten my learners permit. I got tested, forged my mother’s signature and bought anti-depressants. I thought that I was set. But now look at where we are.” Leila said, a sad chuckle escaping her lips. “Funny how things work out, eh?”
Dean nodded, looking at her with pursed lips and an eyebrow raised, “You committed a felony at the age of sixteen?” He asked, grinning.
Leila laughed, “Yup, and I didn’t get caught either.”
“I’m impressed,” Dean laughed, “First Queen, now this? I’m beginning to like you more and more.”
“Don’t forget Back to the Future,” Leila teased.
“That too,” Dean commented, laughing. “But in all seriousness, I want you to talk to me if you feel like you want to try again. Doesn’t matter what time it is, wake me up if you need to; but talk to me. We’ll take a drive, listen to some Queen, and hell, maybe I’ll even buy you a pie just for you to eat.”
Leila smiled slightly, nodding her understanding. “I’ll tell you, I promise.”
“Now,” Dean said, looking into Leila’s eyes, “We can’t tell Sam this happened, alright? It’ll break his heart.”
“Okay,” Leila said with another nod.
Dean smiled, the corner of his mouth upturning, “Just know, I gotta keep up my act when we get back to the hotel. So I might be a bit of a douche when we walk in the door. But don’t take it personally.”
“Why would I take it personally?” Leila said, taking pretend offense to his statement. “You’ve always been a douche, always will be one.” She said, then laughed a lightheartedly.
Dean laughed, “Atta girl,” He mused.
“So, what now?” Leila asked, looking back at Dean again.
“Whattya say we go back to the motel,” Dean began, “Killer Queen style?” He grinned.
Leila threw her hand up in the air with a jest. “Let ‘em eat cake!” She said.
Dean shook his head, laughing, “Just like Marie Antoinette.”
The duo, absolutely shaking with laughter, got back into their seats. Dean turned the volume high as their eardrums could handle and the two sang along, badly, to the mixed array of Queen music on Dean’s cassette tape. Laughter was exchanged and all too soon they pulled into the parking stall in front of their shabby motel room.
Dean opened the door and walked in, Leila following behind him. Dean scanned the room to see two figures instead of one. Sam was sitting on the chair at the kitchen’s small table again. The other figure was standing, looking directly at Dean with his piercing blue eyes. His tousled dark brown hair stuck up in all directions, as it usually did; and his dirty tan trenchcoat nearly hit the floor, as another normality.
“Cas?” Dean asked, looking slightly taken aback.
“You have a male friend named Cas?” Leila asked with a snicker. “Is he like a part time transvestite or something?”
“It’s short for Castiel,” Dean defended, “He’s…” Dean tried to find the right words but ended up quoting Castiel. “He’s an angel of the lord.”
“Yeah, right,” Leila said with a scoff, “God isn’t real.”
“I thought so too,” Dean admitted, “But I can assure you that he is real.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Leila exclaimed, putting her head in her hands with shock.
“Him too,” Castiel chimed, “They are both real beings.”
Dean held a hand out to silence Castiel. He lead Leila over to and sat her on a bed.
“I’m sorry for calling you a transvestite,” Leila mumbled, looking at Castiel between her fingers.
“It’s quite alright,” Castiel replied with a kind smile, “I have heard much worse.”
“What’re you doing here, Cas?” Dean asked.
“I need your help,” Castiel replied, looking between the two Winchesters and their teenage roommate.
“What for?” Sam chided.
Castiel looked solemnly between the trio before saying quietly. “Saint Dymphna has fallen.”
*****
A.N. So, what’d you think? I actually am quite proud of this chapter! :)
Please tell me what you thought of this (these) chapter(s) and remember to vote/ comment/ fan! I love you all! :)
OOOOOOOHHHH, Cas is in! Bwahahaha! xD
Post predictions in the comments!
Until next time, hunters, warriors, and angels,
-T.G.3214 <3