Raised From Perdition Part 6

 

The first thing Dean became aware of was a steady, annoying beeping off in the distance.  He tried to roll onto his side but was stopped by something.  He sighed and forced his eyes open.  Dani sat in a chair next to the bed he lay in.

            She smiled at him.  “Hey.”

            “Hey,” he answered.  His tongue felt thick and the words came out a little muddled. “What happened?”

            Dani leaned forward.  “You got wacked in the head with a shovel and blacked out." 

           "So we came to the hospital? I thought the rule was broken bones and massive bleeding."

           "You were bleeding pretty well," she counted.  "You've got like 17 stitches."

        "Where's Sam?"

            “He’s talking to the doctor,” she answered.  "They want to keep you over night."

            "Well that's not happening." 

            "Sam and I already agreed to it." 

            "You both just decided that without me?"

            She shrugged.  "We would have asked, but you unconscious.

                                                                         . . .

            Sam and Dani headed down the hall on their way to the hospital cafeteria.  This section of the hospital was mostly empty; the only other people visible were the nurse behind the desk at the head of the hall and one orderly mopping the floor.  Dani turned toward Sam, intending to make some kind of comment about hoping they could find something besides Jello but stopped and cocked her head, looking at the door they had just passed. 

            “What?” Sam asked, noticing the shift in her mood.

            “Something’s wrong with this one,” she said moving closer to the door and peering in.  There was a young man lying in the bed inside, completely still, with lots of tubes and wires running between him and the equipment near the bed. 

            “He is in a hospital,” Sam said, slightly amused. 

            “No, something different,” she answered without taking her eyes off of him.  She gently pushed the door open.  She didn’t know what or how she knew, but something was definitely wrong.  She could just feel it.  Dani stepped into the room and cautiously moved toward the bed. 

Sam hung back by the door. “Dani we can’t just go into random rooms.”

“I know, but-“  Then several of the monitors started going off, breaking the strange silence of the room and making Dani jump.  The boy’s body started seizing. 

            She gasped.  “Get help,” she said over her shoulder to Sam, who was already starting down the hall, yelling for the nurse.  Dani took a step toward the bed.  She knew if someone was having a seizure you were supposed to keep them from hurting themselves. 

            As she reached out for the boy his hand shot up, latching onto her wrist.  Dani cried out, instinctively pulling back but finding she couldn’t.  His grip was too strong.  Almost no one was too strong for her since she’d become a werewolf.   She took a breath to shake her surprise and leaned over him, pressing her hands against his shoulders to keep him from smacking his head against the wall. 

            Two nurses and a doctor hurried into the room quickly moving into place around the bed.  One of the nurses starting moving the pillows to pad the bedrails while the other quickly started reading off stats.  Dani tried to step back out of the doctor’s way as he moved to do his work but the boy was still holding her too tightly.

            The nurse who had been talking suddenly stopped, midsentence.  “He’s showing brain activity,” she said, sounding mystified. 

            “Yes, too much activity,” the doctor said.  “1 mg of atvian please.”

            The nurse picked up a syringe and small bottle, lifting it to measure it out.

            The boys eyes flew open and he struggled to suck in a breath, his shaking suddenly stopped. 

            “Never mind,” the doctor said, holding up a hand to the nurse with the needle. They had all stopped, and were staring at him, dumbfounded.  The boy’s frightened gaze locked on Dani and he muttered something.  It was quiet, garbled but she could have sworn he said her name. 

            The doctor leaned over him, “Hello…Alfie? Can you hear me?”

            The boy didn’t respond, just kept panting and staring up at Dani. 

            “All right,” the doctor said, some of the surprise leaving his expression.  “We’re going to need to move him to ICU.  Call Dr. Brenner, tell her to come in.  Tell her that the John Doe woke up.”

            One of the nurses nodded and headed out. 

            “Let’s move him,” the doctor said to the other nurse.     

            As they started to move the bed out of the room, the boy started and tightened his hold on Dani’s wrist even farther, making her wince.

            The doctor looked at her for the first time.  “Do you know him?” he asked. 

“No, I’ve never seen him before.” Dani said, shaking her head.

“We’ll he seems to think he knows you.  Could you come with us, just for a little while, until we calm him down.”

            “Yeah, sure. I guess so.” She glanced at Sam, hanging back by the door, to make sure that was ok.  He nodded and she turned her gaze back to the doctor.  “Ok, for a few minutes.”

                                                                        . . .

            “Is he all right, do you think?” Dani asked the nurse hovering nearby. 

            While the nurse had settled him in the ICU the boy had relaxed enough to let go of Dani’s arm, leaving bruise marks.  He looked like he was asleep now.  He was very pale and thin, with dark brown hair and smallish features.  Dani had always been bad at judging ages, but she guessed he was in his mid-twenties. 

            “He’s stable,” the nurse answered.  “He hasn’t been alright since he got here.”

            “What’s wrong with him?”  Dani turned her gaze away from the patient to look up at the nurse. 

            “We don’t know for sure,” she answered, coming to stand by the foot of the bed.  “He’s been here for almost two years now.  Somebody just found him on the side of the road one night.  He was covered in cuts and burns and had suffered massive brain damage.”

            “What happened?” Dani interrupted her, furrowing her brow.

            “Well they never found out for sure,” the nurse said, “but I was there when they brought him in.  There is no possible way some of that could have been an accident.  They think some psycho must have kidnapped and tortured him and then left him to die.  It’s a miracle he didn’t.”  She looked down at him sadly.  “No one knows who he is; we only know his first name because he was wearing a nametag when they found him.  He didn’t fit any missing person report in the area and no one ever claimed him.  They say an unnamed benefactor pays his bills but no one ever comes to see him.  He’s been in a coma the whole time, barely hanging on, until today.”

            The nurse started when a doctor came in, knowing she’d been saying more than she should.  The doctor either hadn’t heard or didn’t care. She was later-thirties, with wavy dark hair and a confident bearing.  She stepped over to the monitors and looked them over.  “Is this correct?” she asked the nurse, pointing to one of the screens.

            “I reset it three times,” she answered.  “That’s the right reading.”

            “Hum.” The doctor stepped closer.  “I have never seen this type of activity in a persons’ frontal cortex without stimulation in the auditory region.” 

            “Does that indicate a problem?” the nurse asked.

            The doctor shook her head slowly, still studying the screen.  “No,” she said finally.  “I don’t think so.  Everything else looks pretty good all things considered.”  She smiled and shook her head.  “I have never seen such good readings from him.  I never would have thought so before, but he may finally pull through.” 

“So you think he’ll be all right?” Dani asked.

            “We won’t know for sure until he wakes up.”      

                                                                        . . .

            Dani’s ears pricked as she was about to leave the room.  Someone was talking quickly down the hall, sounding agitated.  She focused her hearing in on the sound.

“I’m sorry,” a woman was saying.  It sounded like it wasn’t the first time she’d said it.  “But only family members are allowed in the ICU.”

“Ma’am, this is a federal investigation and we believe this patient has crucial information.”

“Then you’ll have to clear it with the doctor first.”

“The information is also time sensitive.  We need-“

“I can’t just let you in there,” the nurse cut him off.

Dani stood and moved to the front of the bed.  She had a feeling this wasn’t good and wondered which patient they were trying to get to.  Was it Dean?  This would be a good opportunity for any monster or demon to have a go at him.

The nurse’s voice stopped and one set of footsteps quieted. Yep, definitely not good.  Dani looked down at her phone, and pulled up her contacts to call Sam.  Before she could press the phone button, the door flew open.  A tall blond man stood in the doorway, another man just behind him. 

Dani’s gaze flicked to the bed.  Were they here for this guy?

The blond man held out a placating hand. “Step aside please young lady,” he said.  “This need not concern you.”

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

“We have business to attend to,” he explained.  His tone was pleasant but only on the surface.  “If you could please step aside.”

            Dani felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as the man took a step closer.  Something was not right about these two. There was something about their scent, human but something extra she couldn’t place.  “Actually, I’d rather stay,” she said, dropping halfway into a fighting stance. 

Something glinted in the second man’s hand; a knife, just peeking out from under his sleeve. 

“I asked you politely,” the first man said, a menacing light creeping into his eyes.  “Please don’t make me remove you.”

“Sorry, I’m not letting you in here unless a doctor ok’s it,” Dani said.

“Very well.”  The man stepped toward her.

Dani brought her leg up, kicking the man in the gut with all the force she had.  He flew backward, slamming into the other man and the two of them landed in a heap in the hall.  Dani slammed the door of the room shut and leaned against it, bracing her feet against the floor.

. . .

Sam’s phone buzzed once and he pulled it out of his pocket.

“Who’s that?” Dean asked.

“Dani,” Sam answered, reading the text message that had just come through.  “She says there’s trouble in the ICU.”

                                                                        . . .

  Dani shoved back against the door as the men rammed into it.  She readjusted her feet, getting ready for the next impact.  These guys were definitely stronger than humans.  Unfortunately for them, so was she.  She was sure she could hold out for a few minutes at least, but she didn’t know how long the door could take this. About the time she expected them to ram the door again, she looked up and saw both men standing on either side of the bed.  How did they-?

She sprang at the closest one, the shorter one who had the knife, knocking him, and herself, to the floor.  She tried to shift more of her weight on top of him to hold him down but he came back with his elbow, catching her in the jaw.  She felt the cold floor against her cheek.  As Dani tried to push herself up, the man grabbed her shoulder rolling her onto her back.  He pressed his forearm against her chest, pinning her to the floor.  “You’re strong for a little human girl,” he taunted.

Dani bared her fangs, lunging for the man’s upper arm. 

“Oh,” he said, flinching back for a brief moment.  “That explains it.  You know we really didn’t want to do it this way.”  He drew back his free arm, a long silver knife gripped in his hand, the same kind Dean had given her when she first started hunting. 

Then he stopped, a confused expression crossing his face.  A blue light shone out from his eyes and mouth.  Dani raised her arms to shield her eyes.  She opened them again a moment later, in time to see the man topple off of her.  Sam stood beside her, holding a bloodstained knife just like the one the man held.  He turned and tossed the knife over hand.  It embedded in the other man’s chest.  He dropped his knife, just inches away from sending it into the boy’s body, and grabbed the weapon in his chest with a gurgling cry.  He fell forward, then slid off the bed.

For a moment, Dani stared up at Sam, and Sam stared at the spot the man had been, the only sound their rushed breathing.  Then Sam looked down at her. 

“You all right?” he asked, offering her a hand.

“Yeah.” She took it and let him pull her to her feet. “What were they?”

“Angels,” Sam huffed.

“What do they want with him?” she asked, jerking her head toward the bed.  He must have been out pretty good again, because he hadn’t moved since the altercation started.

“I don’t know.”  Sam slid his knife into his inner coat pocket. “But it’s not good whatever it is.”  He knelt to pick up one of the knives from the floor, then handed it to her.  “This is the only thing that can hurt them.”

“You think there are more?”  Dani asked as she took the blade.

Sam shrugged.  “There usually are.  We need to get out of here, can you get him?”

She nodded. “Not going to be a problem.”

“Ok, I’m going to get Dean.  Meet us by the car as quick as you can.”

“Ok,” Dani nodded but grabbed his arm as he started to go.  “Wait, what do I do if someone stops me and wants to know what I’m doing with him?” 

Sam made a face.  “You may have to just hit somebody.  We don’t really have time to mess around.”

. . .

Dean sat up straighter as Sam hurried into his room.  “What’s up?”

“Angels just tried to kill that guy Dani was with in the ICU.”

“Is she ok?”

Sam nodded.  “They're both fine but we’ve got to go.”

“All right, early check out.”  Dean clapped his hands together.  “Find me some pants and let’s boogey.”

. . .

Dani froze, hands hovering over the boy.  She couldn’t get him out with all this stuff attached.  But they wouldn’t have it here if most of it wasn’t important.  He had been in a coma for years after all. 

“Mmm.”  Dani grunted, waggling her fingers agitatedly.  She just couldn’t make herself pull anything.

She jumped at a noise from down the hall.  Someone was coming.  Things were likely to be bad whether it was hospital staff or those creep’s friends. 

“Fine.”  She reached for an IV.  “Sorry about this.”

Dani quickly removed anything attached to the boy, then hauled him up draping his arms over her shoulders, distributing most of his weight across her back.  Well, he’s still breathing, she thought, feeling his breath tickle the back of her neck.  That’s good at least.

She started down the hall at a quick pace.  There didn’t seem to be anyone else out and about anymore. The halls were actually suspiciously empty and quiet; the sound of the boy’s feet dragging behind them too loud.  Dani tried not to think too much into that, and picked up her pace. 

            Come on, there’s got to be a back exit somewhere.

            She rounded a corner and stopped short.  There was the door out she’d been looking for, but right under the exit sign stood a man in a suit.  He raised one arm ever so slightly out from his side and then a knife slid into his hand from his sleeve. Two could paly at that game.  Dani growled low in her throat and extended her claws.

 

            “Come on Sam, keys.”  Dean held out his hand for them.

            “Nope, I’m driving. I don’t know what all they gave you in there.”

            Dean rolled his eyes, but got in the passenger seat. 

Dani jerked open the passenger door and scrambled in, pulling the boy in behind her.  Sam slammed the door once they were in, then jumped into the driver’s seat, starting the engine before he had his door closed. 

“You ok?” Dean asked, turning around in his seat to look at Dani as Sam did a rolling stop out of the parking lot. 

“Mmhmm.” She nodded and started rearranging the boy’s limbs so he was more on the seat.  She laid his head on her lap and furrowed her brow.  His breathing was louder now, labored. 

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s following us.”  Dean studied the hospital warily.

“Maybe we got lucky and there were only three,” Sam said.  “What do you think they want with that kid anyway?”

“I don’t know.”  Dean turned his gaze to the back seat.  “Wait…”  He stared at the boy for a moment, looking like he might remember him from somewhere, but the connection wouldn’t quite complete.  Then the light clicked on.  “That’s Alfie.”

“Who?”  Sam and Dani chorused.

“Remember when we went to that auction for the demon tablet?”  Dean asked, looking at Sam.

Sam nodded.  “Right Alfie, the kid angel.  I thought Cas killed him.”

“Maybe he wasn’t dead when he took him back to heaven.”  Dean was thinking out loud.  “Then when the angels fell he ended up here.”

Sam nodded.  “That’s possible I guess.  But didn’t Cas say…”

“Wait a minute,” Dani interrupted.  “You think this guy’s an angel?”

“He was,” Sam said.  “He may not be now.”

“Well if he is, why would the other angels want to hurt him?”

“Who knows,” Dean said.  “But if they want him dead there’s a good chance we don’t.”

“So what are we going to do with him?” Sam asked.

“Go back to the bunker, those stiffs won’t be able to get to him there.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Dani said.  Alfie was starting to shake; not seizing like before, but his hands were trembling and he definitely sounded like he was having to work way too hard to breath.  “Is there another hospital we could take him to?”

“No he won’t last there.”  Dean shook his head.  “He won’t last long anywhere out in the open if these guys are after him.  We’ll take him to the bunker and have Cas fix him there.”

“If we can get ahold of Cas,” Sam said.

“Hey, think positive.”

Dani bit her lip and tried to remember how long it had taken them to get to town from the bunker.  She jumped when Alfie started.  He opened his eyes and for a second Dani thought they flashed a bright blue.  He glanced around, confused, then his unfocused gaze rested on Dani. 

“Where am I?” he mumbled, his words slurred and hoarse.  “What happened?”

 “It’s ok,” Dani said, laying a hand on Alfie’s shoulder. “It’s all right, you’re going to be ok.  We’re friends.  We’re going to take you somewhere safe.”

Alfie moaned and his eyes fluttered most of the way closed again.  His lips moved like he was muttering something but there was no sound. 

Dani’s expression darkened and she took his hand.  “I bet you do,” she whispered, rubbing her thumb against his.  “It’s going be ok.”

“Can you hear him?”  Sam asked, glancing back at them. 

Dani nodded.  “He says he needs to go home,” she said quietly, not looking up.  “To see his parents.  He says he needs to tell them he’s sorry.” 

He moaned again, and there was more pain behind the sound this time.  He squeezed Dani’s hand, but his grip wasn’t as strong as when he’d grabbed her in the hospital.  “I know you do honey,” she said.  “We’ll find out where you live.  Just relax.  It’s going to be ok.”

She thought she saw his eyes flash again before they closed the rest of the way and his hand went limp in hers. 

Raised from Perdition Part 5

 So this is where a really important scene I apparently never wrote where Dani gets bitten by a werewolf should be.  Picking up on the scene after:

Sam pushed the door open and peered inside.  Dani sat on the floor with her back to them, staring at the wall in front of her.  She didn’t react to the sounds of the door, if she heard it.  “Well, we found her,” he muttered.  “Now what do we do?”

            “Uh…” Dean shifted his weight.  “You go talk to her.”

            “Why me?”

            “Because you’re better at the whole, talking thing than me,” Dean said.  “When I do it, it always comes out wrong.  It’ll go better if you do it.”

            Sam shrugged.  He couldn’t argue with that.  “Ok, fine.”  He took a breath and pushed his hair out of his face, then stepped into the room.  “Hey,” he tried, sitting down on the floor next to her.

            “Are you going to shoot me?” she asked, not looking at him. 

            Sam paused, startled by her directness. Did she really think that’s what they’d come here to do. “Why would I do that?”

            “Because I’m a thing now,” she said, no emotion in her voice.  “A monster.  And that’s what we do right?  Kill monsters?  So let’s just get it over with.”

            “I’m not going to kill you,” Sam tried to assure her.  “We can—“

            Dani rounded on him.  “I have less than twenty days before I start tearing people apart.”  She took a shuddering breath and then held something out to him with a trembling hand. Sam’s heart stopped for a beat.  It was her pistol.  “I can’t do it myself.  I need you to finish me before I turn.”  He opened his mouth to say something, but she grabbed his wrist and forced the gun into his hand.  “Please Sam.  Just don’t think about it.  It’ll be just like any other monster.”

            “You’re not a monster Dani.”  They both turned to look at Dean, still standing in the doorway.  “And we’re not about to kill you when you haven’t even hurt anyone.”

            “Yet,” she said.  “But I will on the next full moon.”

            “No,” Dean shook his head once.  “You won’t.”

            “You don’t know that,” she insisted, her voice breaking, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

            “We can help you,” Sam said, putting a hand on her arm.  “We’ll figure something out.  Dean’s right, you’re not a monster.  We’ll find a way to make this work, ok?  Let’s not do anything—permanent just yet.”  He held her gaze for a minute.  “Ok?”

            Dani bit her lip and nodded.  “Ok.  If you say so.”

            “Now.”  Sam stood.  “Are you coming back with us?”  He held out his hand to her.

            “Yeah,” she almost whispered, taking it.  “I guess I am.”

                                                                             . . .

Also scene I apparently never wrote, sometime after previous scene, where Dani "wolfs out" and attacks a monster they're hunting.

            “No no no. Hey!”  Dean dropped his gun and grabbed her arms with both hands.  “Dani, look at me.”

            She grabbed his forearms like a drowning man would grab a rope, focusing her wide, panicked eyes on him.

            “It’s ok,” he said.  “This is perfect.  If you could do that now, on a half moon, that means you’re a pure blood.  Which means you can learn to change whenever you want; you can learn to control the wolf part of you.”  He looked at her hard, letting that sink in. “You hear me? This is good, we can work with this. Ok?”

            He held her gaze for a minute as her breathing slowed.  Then she nodded and her grip relaxed a little.  “Ok.”

            She was still scared, but at least she wasn’t on the verge of hysteria.  “Ok.”  Dean put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side.  He started walking toward where they’d left the impala, pulling her along.  “Let’s go.”

                                                                        . . .

            “Are you going to send her to Wisconsin?” Sam asked, back in the bunker.  “To Garth’s people?”

            “No.”  Dean shook his head.  “We are not sending her to those crackpots.  There’s got to be somewhere else, somewhere less… weird.”

            Sam took a breath, thinking.  “What about that college girl who got turned a few years ago?” he said after a minute.  “What was her name?  Kate?”

            “Who?”

            “You know, the one with the camera, got turned by her boyfriend’s roommate and then turned her sister.”

            “Yeah, yeah.”  Dean nodded, remembering.  “Kate.  You know she’s been doing pretty good, all things considered.”  He began to warm to the idea.  “If we could get in touch with her, maybe she could teach Dani how to control it.”

            “I think I still have her number somewhere.”  Sam started down the hall to Dean’s room and found John’s journal.  He flipped to the back and started scanning.  “Here it is,” he said, pointing to the page. 

            “All right.”  Dean pulled out his phone.  “Let’s see if she’ll do us a favor.”

                                                                        . . .

            Sam, Dean, and Dani sat in the Impala, waiting in the grocery store parking lot.  Dani had barely said a word since they got up that morning, and had ridden the whole time in silence, sitting in the back, never taking her eyes off the scenery going by out the window.  Dean studied her in the rearview mirror.  Of course, she’d been off since she’d been bitten, who wouldn’t be, but she seemed to have be even more upset today.  Maybe it was just the idea of meeting another werewolf. 

He turned his gaze back to the parking lot in time to see a beat up looking green pickup pull into the spot in front of them.  “That’s her,” Dean said, opening his door. 

Kate hopped out of the truck and waved at him, then Sam.  “I’m not going to lie, you kind of scared me when you called,” she said.  “I was worried you thought I’d done something again.”

“No, if that was it we wouldn’t call ahead,” Dean said.  Then he became serious.  “I really appreciate you doing this for us.”

“Not a problem,” Kate said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.  “I know how hard it is at first and I wish I’d had someone to teach me.  I’m happy to help her, really.” 

By now Dani had gotten out of the car as well, but was hanging back, watching them warily.

“We’re not sure where we’ll be, but if you need us call,” Sam said.  “We’ll get here as soon as we can.”

“I don’t think we’ll have any trouble,” Kate said.  “But thanks, I’ll remember that.”  She looked around Dean at Dani, trying to catch her eye, but Dani was looking off toward the grocery store.  “She’s taking it kind of hard?”

“Yeah,” Dean answered, turning.  “Kinda.”

“I’m sure she’ll warm up to you,” Sam offered. 

Dean stepped over to Dani and took her arm, leading her to the back of the car.  “All right,” he said.  For some reason, Dani still wouldn’t look at him.  “Hey.” He moved to stand in front of her.  “You’re going to be fine.  Kate has this thing figured out, she’s going to show you how to deal with it.”

Dani nodded.  “So, this is it?” she asked.  “I go to Werewolves Anonymous and you guys,” she shrugged, “ride off in the impala to keep hunting down the bad monsters.”

“Werewolves Anonymous?”  Dean shook his head.  “No, this is more like Werewolf 101.”

“What happens if I manage to graduate?”  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the ground.  “If I don’t end up killing anybody, me and this chic hunt squirrels for the rest of our lives, and hope no hunters find us?”

“Wait,” Dean said, finally getting an idea of what she was upset about.  “You think we’re not coming back for you?”

Dani’s bottom lip started to tremble and she bit it to make it stop.  “Now that I’m a monster you don’t need me, right?”

“Dani.”  She finally looked up at him.  “We’re not ditching you.  When you and Kate think you have a handle on this, we’re coming back for you.  I’m not sending you away.  You “graduate” this class, we pick up right where we were.  Ok?”

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Ok.” Dani nodded, already looking more relaxed. 

“And who knows,” Dean said, grabbing her backpack out of the backseat and handing it to her.  “Having a werewolf on the team might come in handy.”

Dani smiled.  “I guess there could be benefits.”

 “Hi Dani,” Kate said, as they rejoined her and Sam.  “I’m Kate.”

“Hi,” Dani said, shaking the hand the other girl held out to her.  “Thanks for doing this.”

“Like I told them, I’m happy to help.  Believe me, it’s not as bad you think it is at first.  We’ll have you ready to go back to a normal life before you know it.”

“Ok,” Dani said, taking a breath and hiking the strap of her backpack up higher on her shoulder.  “Let’s get started then.”

She hugged Dean and then Sam and then she and Kate climbed into the pickup.     

                                                                        . . .

            Dean drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, scanning the road on either side of the parking lot.  Sam chuckled under his breath and shook his head.

            “What?” Dean asked, glaring at him.

            “You,” Sam said.  “It’s like she’s past curfew or something.”

            “What? No it’s not.  It’s just they were supposed to be here like fifteen minutes ago.”

            Sam snorted. 

            “All right,” Dean admitted.  “So maybe I’ve missed the kid, is that a crime?”

            Before Sam could answer, Kate’s truck pulled into the parking lot.

            “Finally,” Dean said, throwing open the car door.

            Dani hopped out of the truck before it was in park.  She looked good; all smiles.  They had pulled up on the passenger side so she got to Sam first.  She grinned ear to ear and threw her arms around Sam’s neck, jumping a little to get there.  

            “Good to see you,” Sam said, hugging her back before setting her down on the ground. 

            “Been having a lot of fun while I’ve been gone?” Dani asked, stepping over to Dean and hugging him too. 

            “Oh yeah, loads of fun.”  Dean pushed her to arm’s length and looked her over.  “How about you?  You good now?”

             Dani grinned.  “Oh yeah.”  She raised her hands to eye level, flexing her fingers quickly and claws sprang up in place of her finger nails.  In spite of himself, Dean started.  Dani laughed and the claws retracted.

            “She’s doing really well,” Kate said.  “She going to be fine.”

            “Good.” Dean nodded.  “Thanks again for teaching her.”

            “We owe you,” Sam said.

            “I’ll remember that.”  Kate nodded, then looked at Dani.  “You can call me any time.”

            “Thanks,” Dani said, her happiness dimming just a little.  “That goes for you too.  If you ever need anything.”

            The two girls exchanged a hug for a minute, then Dani pulled back.  “I really appreciate how much you’ve done for me.”

            “Hey, us wolves got to stick together right,” Kate said, forcing a smile.

            “Right.” Dani nodded.

            Kate took a breath and shoved her hands into her jacket pocket.  “Well, I had better get going.”

            “Thanks again.”  Sam said.

            Kate nodded and got back in her truck.  Before backing out, she looked at Dani one more time, who waved.  She smiled and waved back, then started out of the parking lot.

            “See, that wasn’t so bad was it,” Dean asked, putting an arm around Dani’s shoulder. 

            “No,” she said.  “It was good.  You were right, that’s what I needed.  But I’m still glad to be back.”

            “We’re glad to have you back,” Sam said.

            “Yeah.”  Dean nodded. 

            They all got back in the car and Dean started it up.  “Here,” he said, turning to Dani, who sat in the back seat and handing her the shoe box of cassette tapes.  “Pick us something to listen to.”                                                           . . .

            Later that night, Sam stepped out of the motel bathroom, toweling off his hair.  He looked around the room and saw Dean, flipping through the channels without much interest.  Dani would be in the room next door. 

            “It’s a full moon tonight,” Sam said, glancing out the window.  “Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped at the hotel. Do you think she’s going to be ok?”

            “Kate said she was ready.”

            They both jumped as a howl split the relative silence.  Dean pulled back the curtain from the window, Sam hovering over his shoulder to see out as well. 

            There was Dani, perfectly relaxed and human, lounging on the hood of the impala, staring up at the moon.  Her phone sat beside her, and they could just make out the music coming from it. 

            Don’t go round tonight, Well its bound to mean your life, There’s a bad moon on the rise.   

Raised From Perdition Part 4

 Here's a short transitions sequence that kind of bridges two sections of the book. 

Dani leaned against the side of the impala parked outside the bunker, alternating watching the first sliver of dawn light the horizon and Dean rummaging through the trunk, trying to replace the weapons the brothers had used the night before.

            “How does all of that even fit in there?” Dani asked.

            “Sam is really good at Tetris,” Dean answered, straightening and pushing the trunk closed.  “We’ve got the bunker to keep a lot of stuff in now, but I still like to keep the essentials in the car.  Never know when you might need them.” 

            She nodded and before she could ask what was considered ‘essential’ Sam walked out of the bunker and came up to them.

            “I was just watching the news,” Sam said. “The cops found some bodies this morning about 30 miles from here.  They’d been drained of blood.”

            “Vampires?” Dani asked, a little excited in spite of herself.  It had to be vampires right? She couldn’t think of any other monster that drained blood.  Of course she’d never even heard of half the things seen mentioned in some of the bunker’s archives.

            “Maybe,” Sam answered.  “I think we would have known about a vamp nest this close before now, but it could be.”

            “Maybe they just moved to town,” Dean said.  “Not a good choice for them.”   

“Well, if it is, I hate Twilight just as much as the next self-respecting book nerd,” Dani ventured.  “Maybe I could go with you this time.”

            “No, we can’t keep dragging you into this stuff,” Dean said.

            “I won’t get in the way,” Dani promised.  “I’ll do just what you tell me to and-“

            “It’s not a good idea.” Dean shook his head.  “Not with vampires, or anything else that could be draining bodies.  It’s not minor league stuff.”  He looked at Sam.  “Tell her.”

            Sam paused and before he could say anything Dani continued.  “Look I’ve gone with you before and everything was fine.  I even helped a couple of times.  I mean I don’t mind not going all the time, but I’m not doing a lot of good to anybody staying here.” 

 “No, Dani,” Dean said, stepping closer.  “I know we still don’t know each other very well, and maybe I don’t have a lot of right saying this, but this, this life, hunting, it’s not…It isn’t…” he paused to gather his thoughts.  “Look, I like you being here, and I’ve liked spending some time with you, but…I always thought if I had kids that I wouldn’t want them doing what I do.”

            “But it’s what I want to do Dean,” Dani said. “What was I doing before I met you guys? Making enough money to get buy, and for what?  Just to support myself for another week so I could get to the next one, there was no purpose in that.  I tried to do something good with that whole thing with the medications but that was a mess.  And then I found this.”  She gestured at the bunker, the car.  “I know it’s a hard life.  I know it’s dangerous, and comes with a lot of sacrifices.  But don’t tell me you wish you’d never started this.  That if you could walk away, move to some tiny town and never see another monster again that you’d do it.  I’ve seen it Dean, you love being a hunter, because you know it’s right for you.  And I know it’s right for me too.”  She drew herself up a little, folding her arms across her chest.  “This is what I want to do.  If you don’t want me tagging along with you I get it, that’s fine.  I can go my own way and figure this out—“

            “No,” Dean shook his head.  “No you are not running off to fly solo.”  He glanced at Sam, who nodded. Dean sighed. “If you’re stupid enough to be a hunter, we’ll make sure you’re a damn good one."                                                                        . .  .

            Dani threw on her jacket and hurried after Sam and Dean.  She had to jog a few steps to catch up with them.  “Where are we going?” she asked.  All Dean had said was ‘come on, get in the car.’

            “If you’re dead set on getting into this hunting business,” Dean said, pulling out the impala’s keys.  “You got to take some precautions.”

            “Ok,” she said, trying to hide an excited smile.  What kind of precautions?  Actual hunter training or something?  “So where are we going?”

            “Tori’s Design’s.”  Dean answered.

            “What’s that?”

            “A tattoo parlor,” Sam answered.

            Dani stopped, and gave them a questioning look.

            Dean nodded.  “Don’t worry, it’s a good one.  Not the type that’s a hepatitis infection waiting to happen.”

            Dani stopped, her hand halfway reaching for the passenger door handle.  “Why are we going to a tattoo parlor?”

            “Because you’re going to need to get one of these.”  Sam held out his phone to her and she took it.  On the screen was a picture of an all black Star of David, surrounded by a sunburst.  Or at least she hoped it was a Star of David because if not it was a pentagram and she wasn’t sure she liked the connotations of that. “What is it?” she asked, handing the phone back.

            “An anti-possession symbol,” Sam explained.  “It will protect you from demons.”

            So pentagram it is. Dani raised her eyebrows.  “A tattoo is going to protect me from being possessed by a demon?”

            Sam nodded.  “We both got one a few years ago, and like Dean said, if you’re going to hunt, you’re going to need one too.  Some hunters wear it as charms but those can be taken off.  You need something more permanent.”

            “And nothing says permanent like a tattoo,” Dean said.  “You still want to do this?” 

            “Sure,” Dani shrugged.  “I was thinking about getting a tattoo a while back anyway.”  She opened the car door but didn’t get in yet.  “Can I see yours?”

            “I guess,” Sam said, and pulled down the collar of his shirt.  Just under his collar bone was the same symbol from the picture.  It looked like it was placed over a scar of some kind. 

            Dean sighed and lowered his shirt too, revealing the same mark in the same place.

            Dani nodded.  “Ok.  But do I have to get it in the same place for it to work?”  

            “No.” Sam shook his head.  “You can put it anywhere. Ideally not on your arms or legs though, because um,” he hesitated.

            “Because if the demon really wants to get you they can be cut off,” Dean finished.

            “Oh,” Dani said, trying to keep her voice steady, though she felt like some of the color had left her face.  “Ok, that makes sense.  I was thinking wrist but I guess I’ll have to go back then.”

                                                                        . . .

             “Hey Cas, before we get started,” Dean said, leading the angel into the other room.  Sam and Daniella Webster stood around the table, talking.  “I need you to do something for me.” He turned to the girl. “Dani, you remember Cas, right?’

            Dani nodded.  The angel had come along on a hunt a week or so ago.  They hadn’t spoken much, but Sam and Dean trusted him, so Dani had decided she liked him.  “Nice to see you again Castiel.”

            “Turn around and show him your tattoo,” Dean instructed.

            “Ok,” Dani said, not sure why she needed to do that.  She turned and wrestled her t-shirt sleeve far enough down her arm that the top of the sun burst showed. 

            Dean turned back to Castiel.  “I want you to ward her from angels, like you did me and Sam.  Just in case things go south up there again.”

            Castiel nodded, also seeming a little confused. 

            “Can you do the same thing with her tattoo?” Dean asked.  “Devine etchi-sketch it on her shoulder blade or something?”

             “Yes, that would be simple” Castiel nodded understanding.

            Dani was still confused, but was pretty sure she didn’t like where this was going.  “Devine what?”

            “Those only work while they’re on your skin,” Dean explained.  “They can be burned or skinned off.  I don’t want to take any chances with you so we’re going to make it even more permanent.”

            “What?”

            Castiel gently laid his hand over the tattoo and Dani started.  “Ow! What was that?”

            “I have seared the mark into your bone,” Castiel said.  “Nothing can remove that.”

            “Why the tattoo if you were just going to do that?”  Dani asked, rubbing her shoulder. 

            “I wasn’t sure how long it would be before Cas showed up again.  The ink was better than nothing.”

            “Ow!” Dani jerked back from Castiel when he touched the bottom of her sternum.  “What was that for?”

            “That was the warding,” Castiel explained.  “Now no angel will be able to track you.”

            “Didn’t know that was going to be an issue but ok.”  She looked warily from Dean to Castiel and back.  “Anything else?”

            Dean shook his head.  “Nope, that’s it. Let’s go.”