HOSPITAL HOSTILITY

Ebony's eyes fluttered open, the harsh lights of the hospital burning her retinas. Pale walls greeted her limited sight, and the faint bustle of people attacked her ears. Everything was too bright, too loud. She let out a tiny whimper, clasping her eyes shut again. 

Beside her, Rebecca was napping in a chair, back curved at an uncomfortable angle. Her eyes twitched in her sleep, and occasionally she'd mumble something incoherent. Bags hung heavy under her eyes, and her hair was tangled and greasy. Pity struck hard in Ebony's chest - she felt so guilty about something that she couldn't even shower. She was curled up, head resting on her knees as she snored thunderously. With each snore she made, Ebony cringed, trying to shrink away from all noises and sights - she wanted sleep. 

Another set of ear piercing snores later, Ebony gave up on the dream of sleep, finally prying her eyes open. She hissed, blinking to try and adjust to the sudden contrast of sleep and reality. Her head pounded, and her stomach felt as though it was on fire. 

Confused, she let her hand drift towards the left lower part of her torso, feeling at the layers of cotton and bandages. Brows furrowed, she pressed down on it. A sharp, stabbing pain answered. Gasping, Ebony let go of her side, clenching her hands around the railings of the bed and panting. That was stupid, Ebony mused. 

Shuffling up the bed, she gritted her teeth through the agony, needing to do something other than lie there. She'd pulled herself into a excruciating sitting position when Sam and Dean walked in, carrying a brown bag that stunk of meat. They were conversing lowly, exchanging glances occasionally. 

"Did Andy text you back?" Dean asked, digging into the bag and taking out a burger. 

"Yeah, he just said that he was glad that she was okay. I didn't say anything else." 

"For someone so concerned he doesn't seem that bothered about it," the eldest brother observed, ripping the wrapping off of his food. 

"Yeah." Sam distantly replied, eyes moving away from his brother to the hospital bed. "Ebony?" Dean followed his gaze, mouth open, bits of burger meat falling out. 

She grinned through the pain, regretting her decision to move. "Took you long enough, jeez." Shuffling, she beckoned them closer. "Can you help me get down? This isn't exactly the most comfortable position." 

Rushed, Dean placed his burger on the bed side table and grabbed her legs, as Sam picked up her torso. "This is going to hurt a bit," Sam admitted bluntly, subtly shaking his head at his brother to start moving her down the bed. 

"Well no shit -" her words were cut off by the nauseating pangs shooting through her body. She grit her teeth, forcing a sentence out. "Maybe we should've waited for the professionals." 

They slowly straightened her body, and she attempted to show no sign of the torment it was causing. "We've healed ourselves enough times that we are professionals." 

"Using dental floss as stitches doesn't exactly scream professional to me," Sam remarked, trying to divert Ebony's attention from her never ending hurt. 

Eventually, they managed to arrange her on the bed in a comfortable position, without miraculously waking Rebecca up. Her body kept shuddering up and down with the impact of her snores, and she didn't appear to be waking up soon.   

Ebony turned to the brothers - Dean already biting greedily back into his burger and Sam scowling at his lack of manners. She whispered as quietly as she could, her voice scratchy. "What happened?"

Dean gulped solemnly, licking his lips and gesturing to Sam that he should tell the story. Sam pulled his chair closer to the bed, the plastic grating against the pristine floor. "You got stabbed, after your date with Rebecca. It was late at night, and Dean had been saying about how you must have gotten lucky and would be spending the night at hers but, I don't know. You just don't seem the type, and neither does Rebecca, now that I've met her." Sam stared pointedly at Dean, who'd been chewing on his loudly, making smacking noises. In retaliation, Dean ripped a chunk off of the burger and repeated the action. Sam rolled his eyes. "Anyway, someone from the diner found you in the parking lot, and, well he saved your life." 

Ebony couldn't explain why, but she couldn't find it in her to feel grateful towards the man. 

"You were in surgery for hours, drove us all crazy. You came out eventually, and they've patched everything up. Rebecca filled us in on why you were attacked, but what I'm curious about is," Sam paused, taking note of the glare Dean sent Sam, silently telling him not to ask. 

"Just spit it out, Sam." Ebony was tired of people treating her as though she was made of glass - she was made of the strongest metal, and it had long rusted her heart. 

He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring Dean. "Why didn't you run with Rebecca?" 

She had been expecting to hear this. However, she didn't expect to hear this in a hospital room where she was recovering from a stab injury. "They needed to be taught a lesson. I think they learnt it." 

Dean opened his mouth to protest; Ebony raised her hand to silence him. "Yes, I know it was stupid, and reckless. Yet, isn't that in the job description of being a hunter?" 

Dean crumpled up a wrapper in his hand. "Hunting monsters is different than starting a street brawl." 

Ebony's brow raised, and she was about to release a string of sarcastic retorts to Dean when Rebecca shifted in her seat, mumbling Ebony's name. Ebony decided that she would leave this fight for later; she needed to talk to Rebecca. 

Dean smirked at seeing her defeat, standing up. "Sam, didn't you say you wanted a coffee?" 

"Um-" Dean cut off Sams puzzled inquiry, smiling at the two girls and dragging Sam out. He was nearly out of the room when he spun around, asking the two if they wanted any shitty hospital coffee. They both declined. 

The brothers left. Rebecca pulled her chair closer to the bed, resting her arms on the bed railing. Her bags looked even darker when she was awake, and at this closeness Ebony could see the capillaries in Rebecca's eyes straining to escape. Her hair was even wilder than before, and Ebony wondered if it would be socially acceptable if she asked if she could brush it for her. Yet, despite her sleep deprived exterior, her grin held so much energy. 

"You're okay." Rebecca spoke aloud, as though she was trying to reassure herself that it was all real. She gently reached out, her fingers barely brushing against Ebony's skin. "You're okay." 

Ebony's eyes were fixated on Rebecca's fingers. "You don't seem to be, have you been sleeping properly?" Rebecca only shook her head, concentrating on touching Ebony. It was as though if Rebecca stopped touching Ebony, she'd disappear and appear at a pair of gates rocking a halo. "Why haven't you been sleeping?" 

"I think you know why," her words held no malice, only pure fact. Ebony shrugged, unsure of what to say. Rebecca laughed darkly, pursing her lips at Ebony's response. "You have no idea, do you? About how you can cause people around you pain." Ebony shrunk back, recoiling from her brutal words. "People care about you, and you can't just throw that care away because you want to punch someone! We were all terrified - death is the enemy of us all, and we were petrified, petrified, that he had finally conquered you. Don't do that again." 

Tears rolled down Rebecca's cheeks, and she hit Ebony's arm hard. The sting didn't register with Ebony; her true source of torture was Rebecca weeping. 

"Let me make it up to you, I'll pay for us to go to the movies. My treat." Ebony picked up Rebecca's limp hand that was still stroking her arm. Rebecca giggled, the hysteria taking over. Her whole body quaked with the hilarity of the situation, and Ebony watched with scrunched together brows. 

"You saved me, idiotically may I add, and you want to pay when we go out?" She laughed harder, gripping at her stomach. Ebony nervously smiled, slightly taken aback by her reaction. 

"If it makes you feel better we can go halves," Ebony suggested. Rebecca snorted, covering her mouth with her free hand. 

"Oh, my hero." 

Ebony joined in the laughter this time, unable to control her cackles. It had been the one of the first few times she actually felt pure, innocent bliss. She liked the way it felt. She felt that she'd experience many more of these moments, with Rebecca by her side. 

By the time they'd finished, and were gasping for air, the brothers had been gone for more than an hour. Their whereabouts didn't cross her mind once as she was with Rebecca. Making the most of the moment, Ebony gestured for Rebecca to join her on the bed. To begin with, Rebecca refused instantly, concerned that she'd accidentally hurt Ebony. Ebony raised her eyebrows. "If you're going to hurt me, the best place to do it is in a hospital."

Rebecca considered it, then gave into the peer pressure. She stalked around the bed, jiggling the bed railing and pushing it down. It bent down with a clack of metal, and Rebecca cringed. Ebony rolled her eyes, patting the space next to her. Grinning deviously, she slid into the available space. It was a tight fit - neither of them were complaining. 

Rebecca leaned her head on Ebony's shoulder, breathing deep. Ebony bent her head down to lean on top of Rebecca's, wrapping an arm around Rebecca's middle. She snuggled further into Ebony's side, being as careful as possible. Ebony had only ever felt this content once, and she had missed the feeling. She hoped to feel this way for the rest of her life.

Rebecca's eyes began to droop, and Ebony kissed the top of her head. "Go to sleep." 

She didn't protest, falling into the deep trance of sleep within seconds. Looking down at the beauty next to her, she tightened her grip on Rebecca's waist, before joining Rebecca in the land of desires. 

* 

Ebony was beckoned out of sleep, sensing another presence in the room. She thought that it may be Sam or Dean, maybe the both of them, but she was surprised when she peeled her eyes open to see a man in a trench-coat. 

"We need to talk." His gruff voice wiped away any dregs of weariness she may have had. Her grip on Rebecca became vice like, and she glared at the fallen angel. 

"Can't you see I'm a little busy?" 

Castiel tossed a careless peek at the dark skinned girl curled into Ebony's side. To him, it was someone else who'd become infected by her trickery and lies. "It's important." 

"If it's so important, why risk a mere mortal over hearing?" 

He frowned. "She won't be up for another hour. I made sure." 

She clenched her jaw shut. "Don't you think that's a bit rude and intrusive?" 

"So like what you're doing to the Winchesters?" 

"What the hell are you on about?" Perplexed, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I know why you're out to destroy the Winchesters. And I want you to stay away from them." He strode towards her, freezing her in place with his powerful eyes. 

She chuckled softly, hiding her smile under her hand. "Wow, this is hilarious. You're so deluded, Cas. No wonder you rejected Heaven. Heaven! You honestly think that them boys care about you? They use you for their own selfish needs, they don't care if something happens to you. And if they do," she shrugged nonchalantly, picking at her nails. "That's only because they're worried about losing their little miracle worker." 

She relished in the effect it had on him: his shoulders fell and his confident tone diminished. She didn't even have to destroy anything to cause chaos.

He hesitated. "You're lying."  

"Who knows, I might be, I might not be. Think about all the times they pray to you; do they ever ask if you're okay?" 

That sentence drove the knife into his mind, triggering his doubt and making him second guess his faith in the brothers. They rarely asked if he was okay, and most of the time when they did, it was because they needed him to fix another one of their messes. 

He was their slave. 

He left. She smirked. The angel was breaking.