EMPTY · DEAN WINCHESTER [1]

Don't Give Up On Me

~*~

Dean hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep until he was woken up by a loud shattering sound just behind him. He was quick to open his eyes and stand, whipping around to the source of the sound. His eyes drifted down to a shattered glass of water on the floor, sighing quietly as he wiped his hand down his face.

"Jeez Ash, what a wake up call." He groaned as the room fell silent.

Ashleigh slowly stepped closer to him, staring into his eyes even though he couldn't stare back into hers. She had dark bags under her eyes and her lips were pale and chapped. "Dean..." She spoke in a weak whisper, reaching her hand out and placing it against his cheek.

Dean let out a shaky exhale as a cold chill ran through his body. He placed his hand against his cheek as his jaw clenched. Before much else could happen, Ashleigh's body began to convulse, quickly drawing the hunter's attention. Dean ran over, placing his hands on her shoulders and trying to ease her body back down, afraid she'd rip her stitches. "Sam!" He yelled out in a panic.

While Dean held the woman's body down, Sam raced into the room, his eyes widening at the scene in front of him. Her body looked so weak and frail and the violent jerks her body made, made it look like she could break at any second. Sam hurried over to the bed as Dean tried to talk the woman down.

"Come on Ash, don't you dare die on us now." He nearly growled. As soon as they had started, the convulsions stopped. Her body began to relax, leaning back on the bed quietly. Sam looked between Dean and the woman, his lips pressed in a thin line before he cleared his throat to speak only for Dean to beat him to it.

"She's okay. She didn't rip any of her stitches." He said, looking over her previous wounds "Her wounds are healing, that's good... She'll be up and about in no time."

Sam let out a sigh "Dean..."

"No, Sam. Don't give me that.." Dean interrupted, covering the woman back up. "She's going to be fine, she's strong, she will beat this."

Sam grew silent as he stared at his brother, his eyes slowly glancing towards the woman's frail body. Hesitantly, he nodded his head, agreeing with his sibling "Yeah, of course..."

~*~

Dean was sitting at the table in the war room a few hours later, sipping on a cup of coffee and flipping through a book, trying to give anything on the Mark of Cain when Sam walked into the room. Dean lifted his head, setting his cup down.

"Hey."

"Hey.." Sam took a seat at the table, glancing up at his brother. "You okay?"

"I'm good, why wouldn't I be?" Dean questioned.

"What happened to Ashleigh... You know that want your fault right?"

Dean slammed the book shut before looking up at his younger brother "Oh, you mean it wasn't my fault that she was kidnapped and tortured? She was tortured for information on us. I should have made her leave a long time ago, get as far away from us as she could, but I was selfish. I like her being around and she got hurt because of it. People who get close to us get killed Sam, or worse."

Sam clenched his jaw as he averted his gaze momentarily. "Even if you had told her to leave, you and I both know she wouldn't have left."

"She did before, and I asked her to come back. I shouldn't have called her Sammy." Dean shook his head, the two growing silent, neither one really knowing what to say.

Just when things seemed at least partially peaceful, the lights in the bunker brightened intensely just before they shattered. The hunters were quick to act, racing to Ashleigh's room, afraid she could be hurt or worse.

The two brothers entered her room just as Ashleigh sat up with a sharp inhale, looking around with fear in her eyes. Dean's face softened as he walked closer, trying to calm her. "Hey. Hey.. Ash, it's me. It's okay... You're okay." He spoke softly as Ashleigh turned towards him, her breathing sharp and heavy "D-Dean...? Sam...?" She turned towards the tall brother just before Dean pulled her into a hug "Don't you ever scare me like that again. You hear me?" He demanded, but his tone sounded relieved. She slowly leaned into the hug, her breathing starting to calm down to a slower pace. Sam smiled lightly at the two and as soon as their hug broke, he gently pulled the woman into a hug as well. "Glad to see you awake, you had us worried."

"I'm sorry. I don't really remember much." She pulled away, trying to stand before she winced, lifting up her shirt slightly to see her stitched up wounds. She was quiet for a moment before Sam reached a hand out, placing it on her shoulder. "You need to take it easy, you're still healing.... What's the last thing you remember?"

She lifted her head, looking between both him and Dean as she tried to remember "I... I remember going to that new bar, getting completely drunk and dancing like a fool... Everything is blank after that." She saw the looks both the brothers had on their faces but neither spoke. "How... How long was I out?" She asked in a whisper.

"Its been two weeks since that night at the bar... But you've only been unconscious for a few days." Sam answered before Dean cleared his throat, shaking his head "But you're home safe now, and you're awake. You just need to take it easy so you can heal and then we can all go back to hunting."

Ashleigh stared up at the brothers with wide eyes, trying to take it all in, but they were keeping something from her. She had only been unconscious for a couple of days yet, she had no memory of the past two weeks. Something was up, but instead of questioning it, she nodded slightly. "Yeah... You're right. We'll be back to normal soon enough."