Part 2, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
"Hello...?"
Bobby jumped about a mile--or, would have, a few months ago. He turned to see Judas in the doorway, unsteady but on his feet. The fact that the only clothes they'd had to put him in were several sizes too big--Judas was much shorter than all of them, and skinny to boot--didn't exactly help him look better. "You're awake," he said, when he realized he'd just been staring for a few seconds.
Judas nodded. "Not for long. Less than an hour, I think, I'm still hazy..."
"You should probably sit before you fall over, then," Bobby said, maneuvering out from behind his desk.
Judas nodded, but didn't move. "How long...?"
"About a week."
Judas blinked. "He only had me for a week? It felt longer..."
"Oh. No, sorry. I meant you've been here for a week. He had you for months."
"Oh." Judas finally found a chair, and curled up in it very carefully, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them, watching Bobby with a faint, enigmatic frown. "How did I...who brought me here?"
Bobby blinked. "Sam and Dean. Were you expecting someone different?"
Judas shook his head. "No, not really. I just...wanted to make sure. I'm trying to piece things together, without..." He shivered a little. "I just wanted to make sure."
"Gabriel didn't stick around, after pulling you out, if that's what you were asking."
Judas gave him a faint half-smile. "More or less. You're good at this."
"Been doing it a while," Bobby said. The silence between them stretched awkwardly for a few seconds, then he asked, "You want a beer or something?"
"Thank you, but water would probably be better," Judas said. "I don't drink very much, and I just woke up."
Bobby nodded, and wheeled over to get and fill a glass for him. He could feel Judas tracking him, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Between the defensive, closed-off body language, and where he'd been for the last few months... "How are you doing?"
"Tired, mostly," Judas said. "I was healed."
"Never seen an angel-healing leave scars."
Judas touched his neck lightly. "This can't be erased."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Bobby said.
"Ah." Judas distracted himself with the water for a moment. "I am a...special case," he finally said, carefully.
It didn't take someone as smart as Bobby to realize Judas was hiding something. He decided not to press it, though, not until he had a better idea exactly whose side the Weapon was on. Last thing he wanted was a semi-friendly being of uncertain power flipping out in his living room.
Judas, probably grateful he wasn't being questioned, changed the subject. "Thank you, by the way," he said.
"For what?"
"For your hospitality." He shifted a little, visibly embarrassed. "I know I wasn't exactly...friendly the last time we met, and still you sheltered me."
Bobby shrugged. "You saved Jo and Ellen. Hell, probably the boys, too."
Judas shook his head. "That's..." He sighed. "I like being able to help people. And I seem to remember unnecessarily complaining about you dragging me into it at the time."
"Well, maybe Cas was right, and we shouldn't've done that."
"Still, I'm grateful. I just wish I could...repay you somehow." He frowned for a minute, considering, then blinked and uncurled a little. "I could heal you, I think."
Bobby blinked. He certainly hadn't expected that kind of offer, no matter how grateful Judas was for a safe place to stay after several months as Lucifer's special guest. "You think?"
He shrugged, and looked away. "It's...harder, the older and more complex the injury is. I wasn't born with the ability, it was a gift. I have limits."
Judas couldn't lie. If he'd offered, it had to be within his limits. Or, at least, he had to think there was a damn good chance it was within his limits--he'd said he couldn't knowingly lie, which wasn't the same as being wrong. Despite himself, Bobby felt a faint hint of hope.
On the other hand, two-thousand-year-old unkillable half-angel or not, the man had just spent the last week unconscious in Bobby's panic room. He'd only been up--and not exactly steady, at that--for an hour or so. "You sure you can? You still seem sort of..."
Judas looked up, then smiled faintly and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. At worst, I'll have to impose on your hospitality a little while longer."
That shoved the rest of Bobby's objections clean out of his head. Judas wanted to help, he thought he was capable of it, and was sure it wouldn't do him any kind of serious damage. "Hell, if you can fix my legs, you can stay as long as you like."
He nodded, then uncurled and crossed the room and knelt behind Bobby. "This may feel a little strange, I'm sorry," he said.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a soft warmth spread from the base of Bobby's spine, spiderwebbing all through the lower half of his body. It only lasted a few seconds, but after it faded, he pinched his thigh, as hard as he could, and felt the bruise forming.
"I'll be damned," he whispered.
He turned to see where Judas was--he could twist and turn again, hell it felt good--to see that the smaller man had discreetly fainted.
Bobby got up--actually got up--to check on Judas. There wasn't any blood on his scalp, and it didn't take more than a couple seconds to find his pulse. It was faint, and not entirely steady, but there. The boys had said that Judas had told them he couldn't die, and Judas himself insisted he'd be okay, but it was still nice to confirm.
Now he had to figure out the best way to get him back into the panic room until he woke up again. Judas was too damn valuable a game piece to leave out in the open. Even if the panic room wasn't necessarily safe against angels, it was still more secure than the living room. Besides, Judas was supposed to be warded, and Bobby owed him--for Ellen and Jo and probably the boys, and now his legs on top of it. And, since he had only just been healed, he didn't want to risk carrying Judas back to the panic room by hand. Too easy to fall and hurt both of them.
Finally, he decided to just drag him back down by the shoulders--keeping his head elevated so it wouldn't take any hits. He made his way down the stairs, slow and careful, watching for any signs that Judas was waking up.
No such luck, but at least he seemed to be about the same status as when Bobby had dragged him out of the living room. "You're lucky you ain't heavy," he muttered, after dumping him back on the bed. "And...thanks. Real glad we managed to find you."
More than glad. No one had died, he'd been healed, and Judas was drained but still breathing.
Nice to have a good day, for once, Bobby thought, as he made his way back upstairs. He knew it wouldn't last, of course, he wasn't stupid, but for the moment, he just held on to it--to this one good day.
Previous: Part 2, Chapter 3 Next: Part 2, Chapter 5
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
"Hello...?"
Bobby jumped about a mile--or, would have, a few months ago. He turned to see Judas in the doorway, unsteady but on his feet. The fact that the only clothes they'd had to put him in were several sizes too big--Judas was much shorter than all of them, and skinny to boot--didn't exactly help him look better. "You're awake," he said, when he realized he'd just been staring for a few seconds.
Judas nodded. "Not for long. Less than an hour, I think, I'm still hazy..."
"You should probably sit before you fall over, then," Bobby said, maneuvering out from behind his desk.
Judas nodded, but didn't move. "How long...?"
"About a week."
Judas blinked. "He only had me for a week? It felt longer..."
"Oh. No, sorry. I meant you've been here for a week. He had you for months."
"Oh." Judas finally found a chair, and curled up in it very carefully, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them, watching Bobby with a faint, enigmatic frown. "How did I...who brought me here?"
Bobby blinked. "Sam and Dean. Were you expecting someone different?"
Judas shook his head. "No, not really. I just...wanted to make sure. I'm trying to piece things together, without..." He shivered a little. "I just wanted to make sure."
"Gabriel didn't stick around, after pulling you out, if that's what you were asking."
Judas gave him a faint half-smile. "More or less. You're good at this."
"Been doing it a while," Bobby said. The silence between them stretched awkwardly for a few seconds, then he asked, "You want a beer or something?"
"Thank you, but water would probably be better," Judas said. "I don't drink very much, and I just woke up."
Bobby nodded, and wheeled over to get and fill a glass for him. He could feel Judas tracking him, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Between the defensive, closed-off body language, and where he'd been for the last few months... "How are you doing?"
"Tired, mostly," Judas said. "I was healed."
"Never seen an angel-healing leave scars."
Judas touched his neck lightly. "This can't be erased."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Bobby said.
"Ah." Judas distracted himself with the water for a moment. "I am a...special case," he finally said, carefully.
It didn't take someone as smart as Bobby to realize Judas was hiding something. He decided not to press it, though, not until he had a better idea exactly whose side the Weapon was on. Last thing he wanted was a semi-friendly being of uncertain power flipping out in his living room.
Judas, probably grateful he wasn't being questioned, changed the subject. "Thank you, by the way," he said.
"For what?"
"For your hospitality." He shifted a little, visibly embarrassed. "I know I wasn't exactly...friendly the last time we met, and still you sheltered me."
Bobby shrugged. "You saved Jo and Ellen. Hell, probably the boys, too."
Judas shook his head. "That's..." He sighed. "I like being able to help people. And I seem to remember unnecessarily complaining about you dragging me into it at the time."
"Well, maybe Cas was right, and we shouldn't've done that."
"Still, I'm grateful. I just wish I could...repay you somehow." He frowned for a minute, considering, then blinked and uncurled a little. "I could heal you, I think."
Bobby blinked. He certainly hadn't expected that kind of offer, no matter how grateful Judas was for a safe place to stay after several months as Lucifer's special guest. "You think?"
He shrugged, and looked away. "It's...harder, the older and more complex the injury is. I wasn't born with the ability, it was a gift. I have limits."
Judas couldn't lie. If he'd offered, it had to be within his limits. Or, at least, he had to think there was a damn good chance it was within his limits--he'd said he couldn't knowingly lie, which wasn't the same as being wrong. Despite himself, Bobby felt a faint hint of hope.
On the other hand, two-thousand-year-old unkillable half-angel or not, the man had just spent the last week unconscious in Bobby's panic room. He'd only been up--and not exactly steady, at that--for an hour or so. "You sure you can? You still seem sort of..."
Judas looked up, then smiled faintly and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. At worst, I'll have to impose on your hospitality a little while longer."
That shoved the rest of Bobby's objections clean out of his head. Judas wanted to help, he thought he was capable of it, and was sure it wouldn't do him any kind of serious damage. "Hell, if you can fix my legs, you can stay as long as you like."
He nodded, then uncurled and crossed the room and knelt behind Bobby. "This may feel a little strange, I'm sorry," he said.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a soft warmth spread from the base of Bobby's spine, spiderwebbing all through the lower half of his body. It only lasted a few seconds, but after it faded, he pinched his thigh, as hard as he could, and felt the bruise forming.
"I'll be damned," he whispered.
He turned to see where Judas was--he could twist and turn again, hell it felt good--to see that the smaller man had discreetly fainted.
Bobby got up--actually got up--to check on Judas. There wasn't any blood on his scalp, and it didn't take more than a couple seconds to find his pulse. It was faint, and not entirely steady, but there. The boys had said that Judas had told them he couldn't die, and Judas himself insisted he'd be okay, but it was still nice to confirm.
Now he had to figure out the best way to get him back into the panic room until he woke up again. Judas was too damn valuable a game piece to leave out in the open. Even if the panic room wasn't necessarily safe against angels, it was still more secure than the living room. Besides, Judas was supposed to be warded, and Bobby owed him--for Ellen and Jo and probably the boys, and now his legs on top of it. And, since he had only just been healed, he didn't want to risk carrying Judas back to the panic room by hand. Too easy to fall and hurt both of them.
Finally, he decided to just drag him back down by the shoulders--keeping his head elevated so it wouldn't take any hits. He made his way down the stairs, slow and careful, watching for any signs that Judas was waking up.
No such luck, but at least he seemed to be about the same status as when Bobby had dragged him out of the living room. "You're lucky you ain't heavy," he muttered, after dumping him back on the bed. "And...thanks. Real glad we managed to find you."
More than glad. No one had died, he'd been healed, and Judas was drained but still breathing.
Nice to have a good day, for once, Bobby thought, as he made his way back upstairs. He knew it wouldn't last, of course, he wasn't stupid, but for the moment, he just held on to it--to this one good day.
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