“Let’s keep an eye on her. We don’t want her to go into another shock.” 

Sam stood outside her door, “How is she, doc?” He asked, she was looking roughed up, the constant beeping of the machines were the only things letting him know she was alive.

“She took the full brunt of the crash, there's signs of hematoma, we’ll have to take her to the OR if it becomes too much of a problem.” The doctor took a pause before continuing, “However, there were some serious damage to her spinal cord. Even if she wakes…”

“Are you saying she won’t be able to walk?” 

“Bullshit.” Leila called out from the corner of the room, she’d been sitting there trying to figure out what had happened. When she saw Sam, she had tried to talk to him but all she did was pass right through him. 

Taking another look at her body on the bed, she sighed, there had to be a way out of this. She’d heard of out of body experiences, though she’d never thought she would experience one herself. 

Deep in her thought, she didn’t notice Sam was gone until she looked back up, leaving her to be the only one in the room. Other than her physical body. 

“Great. How am I supposed to find them now.” She grumbled, walking down the white halls. 

“-me some ghost whispering or something!” 

Leila perked up her ears at the sound of Dean’s voice, was he, he couldn’t be… could he? She walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder as she looked into the room.  Dean laid there with all kinds of machines hooked up to him. He looked no better than she did.

“Dean.” 

He jumped at your touch, “LJ! You can see me? Tell Sam-”

Leila shook her head, “Um… I’m kinda in the same boat as you.” She explained, waving her hands through the wall. “At least Sam and John are alright.”

“Doc, what about my brother?” Sam asked with a pained look on his face, his arm was in a cast and the bruise on his face had formed. 

“Well, he sustained serious injuries as well: blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney. But it’s the head trauma I’m worried about. There’s early signs of cerebral edema.” 

Sam bit back his tears, “Well, what can we do?” 

The doctor sighed, “Well, we won’t know his full condition until he wakes up. If he wakes up.” Giving Sam a sympathetic smile, he continued to explain Dean’s condition. “Most people with this degree of injury wouldn’t have survived this long. He’s fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations.” 

“We’ll be alright. Sam will just go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on us.” Dean shook his head, denying the fact that he was currently dying in that bed right now. 

Leila looked at him sympathetically, to be honest, she was ready to die whenever. Afterall, she had always been living on borrowed time. Time that wasn’t her own. She was supposed to be dead a long time ago. 

“Leila, we must go!” The man with the gentle hazel eyes burst out from behind the blue curtains, easily scooping up her 12 year old self and running into a room full of jars. She’d been in this room before, several times. Many of her adopted father’s mentors had shown her around the place as she learned from over their shoulders.

They have told her she had great potential. Now they were dead, just like everyone else in her life. 

“Abbadon is here.” He told her frantically pulling various items from the jars. “I must protect this at all costs, Leila, you must hide.” He gestured her towards the closet, gently settling her down inside. “No matter what you hear or see, do not come out.”

Leila sat hidden inside the closet, rocking nervously back and forth. She had her hands over her ears and was lightly humming the nutcracker song when she heard a loud banging against the door. She stifled her scream and tried to keep her breathing silent. Through the cracks on the door of the closet, she could see her mentor reciting a spell, drawing a sigil on the door. 

A rumbling started and then her mentor was gone with a bright flash of light. Just then, the door was kicked in, a woman wearing a bloodied dress stepped inside. Leila gasped as she saw the woman’s eyes turn black as it looked in her direction. 

“Little Leila.” She snarled as she threw the closet doors wide open. “I missed you.” She grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up. “You bring nothing but death about you. All your family, all your friends, they always end up dead, because of you.”

Leila grasped weakly at the hand grabbing her neck but her attempts were feeble and weak, causing a laugh out of the demon. “Blood will always follow, wherever you go.” It snarled at her and threw her across the room. She could feel her life slipping away as she watched the demon follow her mentor with a bright flash of light. 

“Leila!” 

Dean shook her shoulders as her form flickered, her eyes were glazed over as if she wasn’t in her right mind. “Leila, snap out of it!” 

Slowly, the color in her eyes returned as she shook her head, flinching at the sudden pain. “What happened?” 

“You glitched, or something.” Dean replied with concern in his eyes, “Sam’s gone to check on dad, I-uh, wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Leila groaned and sat back against the wall, “Go. I’ll be right there.” 

He glanced back at her before running after Sam. Leila hid her face in her hands, the room was silent except for the beeping of the machines hooked to Dean’s body. She came to terms with herself, she didn’t care if she survived this or not, but she wouldn’t let Dean go without a fight. 

His brother needed him, and so did John even though he would never admit it. This was their fight they had to finish. As Leila reached her verdict, she stood up just as some ghastly looking things passed by the door quickly. 

Her eyes widened as she realized what it could be. “Dammit.” She muttered, running out into the hall to find Dean. She had to warn him quickly. The reaper was coming. 

Leila found herself lost in the hospital until she heard Dean’s voice ringing loud and clear from just down the hall. “Dean!” She jogged over to him, only to slow down and see John in the room for the first time. Luckily, he didn’t look too injured, his arm put in a sling was the only apparent injury. 

“You’re quiet.” John said, staring straight at Leila. She felt her heart drop, could he see her?

A small huff from behind her made her realize he was talking to Sam, she quickly moved out of the way, not wanting another experience of moving through him. Sam entered the room, his jaw set with anger. He hurled the duffel bag he was carrying onto John with a crash.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” He fumed, staring accusingly at John.

“What are you talking about?” John asked without his expression ever changing at Sam’s tone.

Leila stood confused at the current situation, what the hell were they going on about?

Sam scoffed, “That stuff from Bobby, you don’t use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You’re planning on bringing the demon here, aren’t you? Having some stupid macho showdown?!” He yelled, throwing his arms out. 

Realization dawned on Leila’s face and she looked at Dean, he was looking even more stressed by the minute. “I have a plan, Sam.” John replied calmly.

Sam pointed his finger angrily at his father, “That’s exactly my point! Dean is dying, and you have a plan!” 

“Guys, this isn’t the time for this!” Leila shouted, hoping to get heard but it only fell on deaf ears. 

“You care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!” Sam accused.

Dean stormed into the room, “No, no, guys, don’t do this!” His voice overlapped Sam’s angry accusation. 

John pointed back at Sam, his neutral demeanor fading, “Do not tell me how I feel! I am doing this for Dean.”

Tensions were growing ever higher in the room, Dean and Leila’s voice of reasons going unheard by the two hot-headed Winchesters. Only Leila’s heart dreaded when she realized what John was trying to do by summoning the demon. 

“I said SHUT UP!” Dean screamed, smacking a glass of water off the table with his hand, and to both his and Leila’s surprise, it flew off the table and crashed to the floor.

The bickering between Sam and John froze when they looked at each other in confusion and at the broken cup that laid in pieces on the floor.

Dean scoffed and smirked as he turned to Leila, “Dude, I full-on Swayze’d that mother.” 

Leila let loose a small chuckle just before Dean’s smirk dropped, crumpling to the ground in pain. “Dean?” She tried to grab hold of his arm but his form was flickering unsteadily. 

Outside the room, a bunch of nurses and doctors ran past in a hurry. “What is it?” He asked in pain as he unsteadily stood up. 

“Something’s going on out there.” John spoke more softly, nodding his head towards the hallway at Sam. Sam took the silent gesture and quickly followed behind the nurses. 

Leila grabbed hold of Dean’s shoulders tightly, “Dean. Dean, listen to me very carefully, there’s a reaper here, and I’m pretty certain that it’s after you.” She ignored the widening of his eyes as she continued, “You gotta keep it away from you. Don’t let it get to you, okay? Not until I figure something out.”

Nodding his head, he stumbled out following the trail of white coats. Leila sighed, running her hand down her face. “John, whatever you’re planning, I really hope it isn’t what I think it is.” She muttered, leaning on the wall adjacent to his bed. 

John was completely silent as he stared out the window in his thoughts, she could never read his face or understand what went on in that head of his. Only moments later, Sam came bursting into the room. “I felt something!” He declared as soon as he caught his breath.

“What do you mean, you felt something?” John asked in confusion. 

“I mean, it felt like, like Dean. Like he was there, just out of eyeshot or something. I don’t know if it’s my psychic thing or what, it… you think it’s even possible?” Sam took a deep breath between his little rambling, “I mean, do you think his spirit could be around?”

Leila stood shocked that Sam actually managed to hear Dean somehow, perhaps they had more of the chance to bring him back than she realized. 

“Anything’s possible.”

Sam nodded quickly, the energy returning to his body, “Well, there’s one way to find out. I gotta pick something up. I’ll be back” He turned around to leave, only stopping when John called out to him. 

“Wait, Sam.” John didn’t speak until Sam turned back to face him, “I promise I won’t hunt this demon. Not until we know Dean’s okay.” He said in all seriousness. 

The younger Winchester curtly nodded before leaving. Leila crossed her arms to watch John’s determination fade just slightly when he thought no one was there to see. 

“Don’t you do anything stupid til I get back, John.” Leila spoke softly, placing her hand just on top of his, “Your boys need you.” She placed a small kiss on his cheek, causing him to shudder. 

Exiting his room, she found her way back to Dean’s room, pleased to see that he was still kicking it. “Hiya.” 

“LJ, you won’t bel-”

Dean was cut short by Sam coming into the room, holding a brown paper bag in his arm. “Hey. I think maybe you’re around.” 

Leila’s eyebrows raised in anticipation, what was he planning now? She couldn’t help but snort when she saw what he had brought. A ouija board. 

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.” Dean scoffed as Sam sat down by the foot of the bed on the floor. He opened the box gingerly and pulled out the board.

Placing his hand on the pointer, Sam called out to his brother. “Dean, are you here?”

“Aw, it’s like a slumber party.” Leila let loose a laugh that made a smile creep up on Dean’s face despite his annoyance.

Dean punched Leila’s arm as he passed her, she was still laughing her ass off that Sam had brought an ouija board to talk to them. “All right, Sam. This isn’t going to work.” He carefully placed his fingers on the pointer alongside Sam’s, slowly sliding it to the YES on the board as he concentrated.

A small gasp slipped from Sam’s mouth as he stared at the board in shock. He laughed in relief, “It’s good to hear from you, man. It hasn’t been the same without you, Dean.”

Leila watched the brothers exchange words through the board, she was surprised it had actually worked, now she couldn’t help but admire the bond that these two had. She felt a weird chill in the room just briefly and looked at Dean to see if he noticed anything, however he seemed too busy with the board.

Just as it came, the chill disappeared, leaving Leila wary and worried. Nothing ever happened for no reason, and she didn’t believe in things like coincidence. She glanced back to the brothers, realizing that Dean was trying to explain to Sam there was a reaper here. So he had seen it. 

“A reaper. If it’s here naturally, there’s no way to stop it.” Sam muttered dejectedly. 

Dean forced a small smile, “Yeah, you can’t kill death.” He glanced at Leila standing by the door, she returned the grim look.

“Man, you’re, um…”

“I’m screwed, Sam.”

“No. No, no, no, um, there’s gotta be a way.” Sam stood up and paced in front of the board, forcing Dean to stand to his eye level. “There’s gotta be a way. Dad’ll know what to do.” 

“I’ll be back.” Leila told Dean as she followed Sam back to John’s room, having to jog to keep up with the long legged man. She arrived right behind him, unable to see in the room until Sam turned back around and walked straight through her.

“Dammit.” She shuddered at the feeling, her stomach sinking to the floor when the bed was missing one John Winchester. “Son of a gun.”

The bag was gone. He was gone. “Shit, shit, shit.” She paced back and forth in the room, where would he have gone. She took in a deep breath in an effort to calm down. He would have to go somewhere isolated, somewhere quiet. Her face lit up and she immediately sprinted towards the closest staircase. 

♤•♤•♤•♤

John stood in the dark boiler room, holding his hand with the cut in it. He looked around the room, staring into the dark. He stiffened when a hand grabbed his shoulder, turning him around.

A man in a janitorial outfit stood before him, “What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?” 

“I can explain.”

“Yeah? You’re going to explain to security. Come on. You follow me.” The man stated, turning to guide him towards the exit.

John pulled the Colt from his pocket and cocked it at the man, “Hey. How stupid do you think I am?”

The man stopped in his step, facing back around to John, his eyes glowing the same shade of yellow that had possessed John before. “You really want an honest answer to that?” Two men in lab coats stalked past the demon, taking positions behind John. “You conjuring me, John. I’m surprised. I took you for a lot of things. But suicidally reckless wasn’t one of them.” It drawled as it spoke in a light tone. 

“I could always shoot you.” John replied, holding the gun steadily at it’s head.

“You could always miss.” It retorted, moving his body as if he was about to dodge the bullet, letting out a laugh. “And you’ve only got one try, don’tcha? Did you really think you could trap me?”

“Oh, I don’t want to trap you.” He lowered the gun, putting the safety back on. “I want to make a deal.” 

The demon stared intrigued at John, slowly eyeing him trying to see if he was speaking the truth. 

“JOHN!” Leila shouted as she came in through the door, quite literally. The door had been locked from the inside, almost making her yell in frustration until she realized she could quite literally walk through the door. 

The scene in front of her was one of the worst case scenarios she built in her head, the idiot had really summoned the demon here. 

“It’s very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this isn’t just another trick?” The man in front of John spoke in the same disgusting accent the demon had from inside John. She could never forget that voice or tone. 

“It’s no trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you’ve got to help Dean. You’ve got to bring him back.” John bargained with the demon in front of him. 

The demon made his way towards Leila, making her freeze up, his eyes seem to bore right through her soul. “Why, John, you’re a sentimentalist.” He muttered a few unknown words under his breath, making Leila’s body tingle. “If only your boys knew how much their daddy loved them.” 

John raised his eyebrow at the demon’s action, “It’s a good trade. You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do Dean.”

The demon wrapped his arm around Leila’s neck, bringing her in front of him as he walked back towards John, dragging her along. Leila let out a cry, how the hell was he able to grab her? 

Staring in confusion, John couldn’t help but frown at the strange actions. His questions were answered when a form flickered into view, Leila struggling against the demon’s grip on her. “LJ?” He asked in disbelief.

“Lemme go you bastard!” She struggled but the grip against her neck only tightened and she felt the energy being sapped from her. “You b-bastard…” 

“What are you doing to her?” John asked worriedly, his voice rising in anger as he saw her body going limp. 

The demon chuckled, rubbing his nose against the side of her face, “She was being a very naughty girl. Hiding and listening.” It could feel John’s anger radiating off him and it smirked, “Besides, your son killed some people very special to me. But still, you’re right, he isn’t much of a threat. And neither is your other son.” 

“John, whatever he wants don’t do it-” 

“Shhh, shhhh…” It pulled her even closer to his body, shushing her in a quiet tone that sent a shiver down her body. It made John clench his hands in a fist, but he didn’t move or say anything, only glared at the demon. “You know the truth, right? About Sammy? And the other children?”

Up til this time, John had kept his eye contact with Leila, “Yeah. I’ve known for a while.” He replied after a moment’s hesitation. 

Leila gripped the arms around her neck tightly, what were they talking about? Was this the reason John wanted Sam and Dean out of the big fight?

“John-” She was cut short once again when her vision turned white and her form flickered violently, allowing her to slip through the demon’s grasp and she fell to the floor.

John quickly kneeled in front of her, attempting to help her up but his hands effortlessly glided through her. “LJ…”

“John Winchester, I won’t forgi-” Her form disappeared in a bright flash of light, leaving only John and the three demons. The demon stared down at John in amusement.

John forced himself to stand up with a stoic face, “What did you do to her.” 

“Oh, John, I’m hurt. You think I had something to do with that?” 

“Don’t bullshit me.”

The demon chuckled at his outburst, “Believe me, John. Your little friend there just returned to her body.”

John stared at the demon skeptically, he would go check on her as soon as he knew it would bring Dean back. “Fine. Can you bring Dean back, yes or no?”

~♦~♦~♦~

Her eyes flew open, almost immediately shutting them when the bright white ceiling glared down at her. She let her eyes adjust to the room before realizing that she was back in the room. In her hospital room, in her body. “Dammit.” 

Leila started pulling the needles off her which started making the machines beep like crazy. She knew she only had a few seconds before the doctors crowded the room. She threw her legs down from the bed and tried to stand. 

It was a terrible plan.

A pain shot through her spine and she let out a cry as she fell straight forward, barely catching herself from face planting the ground. “Shit!” Her eyes teared up in pain as she crawled her way out of the room. 

Luckily, someone had left a wheelchair in front of a room just next to hers. Leila didn’t have time to worry about whose it was, she painfully dragged her legs and pulled herself up on the chair. 

“Hey! That’s ours!” A deep voice yelled from within the room. 

Leila ignored the voice and quickly made her way as fast as she could towards the boiler room. Unfortunately, she didn’t get very far before colliding head on with someone. She opened her mouth to apologize when she recognized the face staring back at her. 

In her hurry, she had made it to Dean’s room and in front of her was the man she wanted to see. John Winchester.

“You-” She started but John quickly turned her chair around, ignoring her protests and wheeled her into an empty room. 

As soon as they stopped, Leila grabbed his collar and stood up, almost falling to the ground as more pain shot up her legs and spine. Only reason she didn’t fall was that John grabbed her waists, trying to support her. “Leila, you need to rest.”

His words only angered her more and she slammed him against the wall with all her strength, ignoring the searing pain. “What the hell did you do?” She asked him accusingly, she hadn’t failed to notice Dean sitting up on the bed in the room. 

“I-” He couldn’t meet her eyes, this was the first time Leila’s ever seen him so vulnerable. “I did what I had to.” 

Her grip on him only tightened, “Why?” Her steel blue eyes swimming with tears, her strength finally disappearing as her legs buckled from under her. Another stabbing pain shooting up her spine, it exploded her head with a blinding whiteness.

“Leila!” John gently lifted her small body and laid her on the bed. Despite her pain, she still hadn’t let go of John’s collar. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t go, John, please.” Her voice cracked and her hands were trembling, still tightly grabbing his collar. “Please.”

She felt a small prick on her arm and his gentle eyes staring down at her with sadness she’s never seen him in, “Take care of my boys, Leila, just like you took care of me.” 

“John-” Her vision blurred and she could feel whatever he did to her, taking her consciousness under, “N-” She felt his lips press against her forehead before plunging into the darkness. 

She could hear a commotion from just across the hall, her mind still foggy, she willed her body to move. Leila let out a cry when she rolled off the bed, a mind numbing pain searing up her spine once more. Somehow, she managed to get herself back on the wheelchair and managed to wheel herself towards the room of commotion. 

The brothers were too busy looking at the body of their father to notice her behind them, the only words registering in her brain as the doctor sighed. 

“I’ll call it. Time of death, 10:41 am.”