Saints or Sinners | {BOOK 3}

11| Emmanuel/Cass

"Dean, you need to take a break."

"Not until I find something that can help Sam."

"Dean, look at me."

I waited to continue until he'd complied with my request.

"You've been at it for days. Nobody's called you back and the people who did pick up couldn't help. Take a break."

"But Sam-"

"Isn't going anywhere," I finished. "Look, it doesn't need to be for very long, just take some time to freshen up. Eat something."

Dean stared at me for a minute, then nodded his head, pushing the list of names he'd been working on aside and standing up. As he moved toward the refrigerator, one of the journals he'd been looking at fell on the floor. He looked at me and I shrugged.

"Don't look at me, it just fell."

Walking back over, Dean picked up the journal, noticing a business card for Mackey's Taxidermy fell out of it. I sighed as he took out his phone and dialed the number on the back of the card.

"Yeah, hi. Uh... my name's Dean. I'm a friend of Bobby Singer's. I'm, uh, looking for some info. If you could call me back at 785-555-0128. Thanks."

He hung up, then noticed my stern look.

"I'm going, I'm going," he said, moving back toward the fridge.

"Ah, ah. Shower first. Then you can have a beer," I stopped him.

He looked like he was going to argue with me, but off my look, he just nodded and moved toward the stairs.

⁘

"Dean's phone," I answered.

He was still upstairs getting freshened up. I made him take a second shower because apparently one hadn't been enough.

"Mackey. Calling Dean back. Hey. Real sorry about Bobby."

"Yeah, me, too," I sighed.

"Look, what he called about- I might have something for you. There's this guy. He goes by 'Emmanuel.' He kind of roams. First started hearing about him a couple months back. How he was healing the sick, curing the crazy."

"Uh huh," I said, snapping my fingers at Maddie as she tried to sneak juice from the fridge.

"Naturally, I think something in the milk ain't clean," Mackey continued. "Find this sucker, punch his clock. Right?"

"Right," I agreed, helping Maddie pour a small cup of the juice.

"Heard the best way to get to him is through his wife, Daphne, out in Colorado? So, I go. Tell her I'm going blind. It's true. My right eye's burnt out. She says, 'Go home. He'll come.' So, I go. I set every trap, every test in the book."

"That's what Dean would've done."

"Emmanuel shows. He passes every one. There ain't nothing weird about this guy. Except... he's the real deal."

"What do you mean?" I asked as Dean came downstairs holding Zep.

"He touched me, and my eye was fixed. Look- I don't believe in much that don't suck your blood. But I wouldn't call you on a maybe."

I thanked him, and hung up.

"What was that about?" Dean asked.

"Mackey called back. Says he knows a guy who can help, Emmanuel. Apparently, he's the real deal. Mackey was blind in one eye, the guy touched him, he was healed."

"Alright, so how do we get in touch with this 'Emmanuel'?"

⁘

When we got to the address of Emmanuel's wife, Daphne Allen, I watched Dean fight with a demon on the doorstep. As soon as he'd killed him, the man who had to be Emmanuel showed up. There was just one thing... Emmanuel was-

"Cass!" Maddie exclaimed from the backseat.

"Maddie, wait. Maddie!" I cried, but she'd already unbuckled and climbed out of the car.

"Maddie!" I yelled again, also getting out of the car.

I didn't move very far though, unwilling to leave Zep unattended.

"Maddie, wait," Dean grabbed her before she could hug Cass.

"Would you and your family like to come inside?" Cass asked Dean.

"Uh," he looked over at me and I shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

I got Zep out of the back and followed Dean and Maddie as Cass... or Emmanuel, or whatever... led the way inside.

"That creature hurt you," Emmanuel/Cass addressed who had to be Daphne as he helped her out of her bonds.

"I'm okay," Daphne said. "But Emmanuel... They were looking for you."

"It's okay," Emmanuel/Cass turned back to face us. "I'm Emmanuel."

He held out his hand for Dean to shake.

"Dean... I'm Dean," Dean took his hand. "This is Ellie and our kids, Maddie and Zeppelin."

"Nice to meet you," I greeted him.

Maddie was looking around, confused.

"But that's-" she started.

"Maddie, hush," I told her.

"Thank you for protecting my wife," Emmanuel/Cass said.

"Your wife. Right," Dean nodded.

"I saw his face. His real face."

"He was a demon."

Maddie opened her mouth to say something again, but I covered her mouth with my free hand.

"A demon walked the Earth," Emmanuel/Cass muttered to himself.

"Demons," Dean corrected. "Whackloads of them. You don't know about...?"

"You saw the demon's true face," Daphne addressed Emmanuel/Cass then turned to look at me and Dean. "Emmanuel has very special gifts."

"Yeah. W-we've heard that about... Emmanuel. That you can heal people up."

"I seem to be able to help to a certain degree. What's your issue?"

"My brother."

⁘

I was sitting in the back between Maddie and Zep while Emmanuel/Cass rode shotgun and Dean drove.

"So, Daphne- is that, uh, your wife?" Dean started small talk.

"She found me and cared for me."

"Meaning?"

"Oh, it's a... strange story. You may not like it."

"Believe me, we will," Dean insisted, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

"A few months ago, she was hiking by the river, and I wandered into here path, drenched and confused, and..." Emmanuel/Cass glanced back at Maddie who was still staring at him, though keeping silent now, "unclothed. I had no memory. She said... God wanted her to find me."

"So who named you Emmanuel?"

"Bouncybabynames.com."

I snorted at that. The seriousness with which he said it was so Cass.

"Well, it's working for you," Dean smirked. "Must be weird, not knowing who you are."

"Well, it's my life. And it's a good life."

"Yeah, well, what if you were some kind of... I don't know... bad guy?"

I covered Maddie's mouth again as she tried to say something again. Emmanuel/Cass stared curiously back at us, then turned back to answer Dean's question.

"Oh, I... don't feel like a bad person."