(1) The Devil's Hybrid (D. Winchester)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The impala drives up to a very sleazy-looking motel and pulls into the parking lot. Sam scoffs.

"Dude, this place charges by the hour," Sam tells them.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel. Hence, the uh, hooker inn. It's opposite day, remember?" Dean looks to Erika who gives him a look back.

....................

Dean drops a bag on the bed and starts pulling out items. Erika rummages through her bag and takes a few small string-tied bags and places them around the room.

"What are you doing?" Sam asks her.

"Hex bags, love" she answers. "Lilith-proof the room"

"So, what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?" Sam asks.

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do – use the Magic Fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View" Dean tells him as he reaches into Sam's bag and pulls out Sam's laptop, smiling.

"Oh, dude, come on"

"Just call it a little insurance" 

"What are you two gonna do?" Sam asks.

"Well, the pages say that we spend all day riding around in the Impala. So I'm gonna go park her and we're going to take a walk. Behave yourself, would you? No homework. Watch some porn" He smiles, pleased with himself, and leaves with Erika. Sam fumes.

.....................

As the impala drives away from the motel, the neon sign out front, the word "Toreador" sputters and several of the lights burn out. The remaining letters spell: RED

......................

ELSEWHERE, Dean parks the impala and he and Erika get out. Dean checks the doors, then moves to Erika, wraps his arm around her waist, the two of them then walk away across the street. Moments later, Dean looks back to see two teenagers attempting to break into the car. He runs towards them.

"Hey!"

"Dean!" Erika shouts just before a van careens towards him; he can't get out of the way in time, and it hits him. He is knocked to the ground, unconscious. Erika throws her head back and groans before moving to him.

........................

Sam opens the door to reveal Chuck.

"You wanted to see me?" Chuck asks.

"Yeah" Looking around shiftily, Sam opens the door wider and Chuck enters. He shuts the door behind him. "Thanks for coming"

"Ah, sure"

"Um... I was just wondering how much you know. About me" 

"What do you mean?" Chuck asks.

"Have you seen visions of me when I'm not with Dean and Erika?"

"Oh... You want to know if I know about the demon blood"

"You didn't tell Dean"

"I didn't even write it into the books. I was afraid it would make you look unsympathetic"

"Unsympathetic?"

"Yeah, come on, Sam. I mean, sucking blood? You got to know that's wrong" Sam raises an eyebrow. "Right...Erika is a vampire that uses blood bags, that's kind of a good vampire, you know.....morally" Sam nods a little. "And she had that whole...reformed arc"

"It scares the hell out of me. I mean, I feel it inside of me. I... I wish to god I could stop"

"But you keep going back"