Worth Living

Well, that was rude. I only wanted to ask him some stuff…

'Ras? What happened?' Cthylla asks, probably seeing me staring at the stage.

'Nothing. The Reaper is gone, and it seems that the preacher is somehow using it to heal people.'

'Is that even possible? I've met Reapers before, and they're pretty powerful and normally couldn't be bound by humans.'

'No idea, but if it's possible, then in this world... wait, you've met some already?'

She walks toward me as Sam brings the confused-looking Dean over to us. "Not in this world, but in some previous ones. They always seem to appear before my father is reborn..."

"Understandable," I say, considering what happens when her father is reborn.

His rebirth causes the world to slowly die, while his presence drives every being in the world crazy until they're completely brainwashed and voluntarily sacrifice themselves to him.

So it's no wonder that the Reapers appear to watch the show.

"I will take Dean for a check-up at the hospital. Do you guys want to follow us, or do you want to check on him yourself?" Sam asks while Dean stares into nothingness.

Hmm, I'd rather stay here and ask this Roy about the Reaper. But he just started his preaching, so it'll be a while before he's free…

"No, we'll accompany you. I have some questions for your brother afterwards anyway, and I can help him if the doctors find anything else," I say, even though I'm pretty sure he's okay. His heart sounds normal, and his aura is stable.

Why don't I want to help Dean myself? Because I'd rather not connect with a Winchester again unless absolutely necessary, considering the past experiences I've had with Sam.

"Good, then let's go. Come on, Dean," says Sam, leading his brother out while we follow them to our cars.

'Do you think the Reaper did something to his mind?' Cthylla's voice echoes in my head. She probably doesn't want Sam to worry.

'I don't think so. Maybe he simply can't believe that he's really healed or he saw something that people shouldn't see…'

'Hopefully, you're right. They are both touched by destiny, I can sense that," says Cthylla, cutting the connection as we arrive at the car.

Touched by destiny? It seems I'm not the only one who thinks they're not normal.

Afterwards, we drive in separate cars toward the nearby hospital. Sam and Dean go inside, while we find a nearby Café to wait for them.

And since waiting makes you hungry, we start filling our stomachs with muffins and all sorts of pies.

—

After nearly an hour or so, I can sense the brothers coming towards the Café.

So I call the waitress, who looks pretty pissed after our small feast, and order two more coffees and apple pies.

The order will probably take a while because she said we ate all their cakes…

Then Sam and Dean enter the building, and Cthylla waves them to our table.

"So since I didn't get a panicked call from the hospital. I guess you are all right?" I say towards Dean after they sit down.

His eyes are clear again, but why does he look so concerned right now?

Dean puts on a fake smile and says, "Yeah, the whole thing caught me off guard a bit but I'm fine again."

Sure…

"So I guess you saw him too right?"

Sam and Dean suddenly stare at me, and Dean asks, "You saw the spirit too?"

"Yes, but it's far away from being a spirit, it's a Reaper."

"A Reaper? Are you sure?" asks Sam in disbelief.

"Yes, I could clearly see and sense it."

Dean slams his hand on the table and stands up angrily, "I knew it! I'm going to have a talk with this son of a bitch." Then wants to storm out of the building, but Cthylla grabs his hand and stops him.

"Easy there, why are you so angry?" she asks confused.

Dean first tries to free his hand, but since she is too strong and doesn't let go, he takes a big breath and sits back down, saying,

"Because the healing didn't feel normal, it was cold and unnatural. No wonder, considering it was a freakin' Reaper who did it."

"And?" In the end, it healed you. Shouldn't you be happy about it?" I ask him, also not quite getting why he is so angry.

"Dean thinks the Reaper killed someone to heal him…" says Sam to answer my question.

"Yes, and now I'm more sure than ever since Reapers have the ability to take and give life."

"Wait, I can't follow that right now. How do you even know that someone's death is connected to the Reaper or to you?" asks my still-confused girlfriend, speaking for me too.

"Because the doctor said that some healthy athlete died of a heart attack nearby, over an hour ago…" says Dean, while looking guilty.

Well, if I was in my old world I would say that, that is a coincidence, but here… also, Reapers are portrayed as balance keepers sometimes.

So it would be reasonable that it takes something and gives it to someone else instead of simply making miracles.

"And what is your plan? You can't simply go and have a talk with a Reaper," asks Cthylla, seemingly understanding his actions now.

"No, but I can go to that Roy guy, and have a talk with him."

"Good then let's do that, and get some clarification," says Sam and stands up but Dean stops him.

"No, you will go and check out the athlete's death. Only to be 100% sure that it's really the Reaper who did it and not some alcohol and steroids, while I go to our friendly miracle healer."

"Can you even control yourself there, maybe I should go and talk to him," says Sam skeptically, and considering how hot-blooded they are I would be too…

Then I have an idea and say, "Then I will go with him since I want to talk to this Roy guy too."

"Good then I go with Sam since too many people could make them nervous, and I don't want to simply sit around and do nothing," says Cthylla after thinking about it for a second.

"Fine, then let's go," says Dean, and walks to the exit, followed by Sam and Cthylla. While I place a few hundred bucks on the table and then go after them too.

The waitress will be even more annoyed after seeing that we are not there anymore, and she brought out the apple pies and coffee for nothing…

—

Afterwards, Cthylla takes my car and drives with Sam to the indoor swimming pool where the athlete died, while Dean and I take the Impala.

"One question, why do you even care about Roy or the Reaper?" I ask Dean after we arrive back at the miracle healer's house.

"Isn't that clear? Because he is killing innocent people."

Innocent people? Not everyone who is killed by a supernatural being is innocent, that's for sure…

"Yes, he probably is… but he's also healing people, and you don't know if the athlete was innocent; maybe he was a serial killer or something like that."

"It doesn't matter, no one should have the power to decide who lives or dies. That's not normal! I should have never listened to Sam, and let you heal me from the start," says Dean angrily.

This guy is as stubborn as ever. A normal person would be happy to be alive…

"Would it change anything? The preacher would simply pick another person."

"Yeah, but at least he wouldn't pick me," says Dean under his breath, and exits the car, while I follow him.

He then turns to me and asks, "Don't tell me you don't care that someone's using a supernatural asshole to kill people?"

"No, I don't care about that, and I don't care about Roy or how he is controlling the Reaper. I simply want to meet the Reaper himself."

Random people die, and some random people get healed. In the end, it changes nothing for me…

I don't even know if I would consider it evil...

"...but I care," says Dean and knocks on the door.

After a few seconds, the wife Sue Ann of the miracle healer opens the door and looks surprised at us, asking, "Oh my, it's you? Is everything alright or don't you feel well?"

"Ah no, ma'am, we came here to talk with Roy about what happened before," says Dean friendly, completely the opposite of his angry demeanor before.

"Oh yes, people always have the same questions. Please come inside, Roy will speak with you," she says with a smile and gestures for us to go inside.

Then she leads us into the living room before going to get Roy.

"Pretty friendly for someone who was so angry before," I say to Dean with a smile.

"Shut up, I don't go everywhere guns blazing without knowing the full story," hisses Dean, before becoming quiet after hearing the married couple nearby.

"Ah, it is you. I figured that you would come here soon, and you even brought another visitor," says the blind man after his wife leads him to the couch.

It seems that his blindness made him perceive the world around him more carefully.

"Yes, sorry for the intrusion. My name is Aiden Cross, and I'm a friend of his."

"Cross… that's a name fitting for a man who seems to have seen a lot in his lifetime," says the preacher with a smile and then changes his attention back to Dean.

"So is everything all right with you, son? Or are there any side effects after my healing?" asks Roy, while Sue Ann gets us some glasses and fills them with water.

"No, I feel great. I am just trying, you know, to make sense of what happened."

Dean plays the role of a guy who is confused after a miracle happened to him really well…

"A miracle is what happened. Well, miracles come so often around Roy," says the housewife. Strangely, her heartbeat increases while saying that… Is she excited, or is she lying?

Roy only nods while his heartbeat stays stable, and he seems to be pretty relaxed.

—

"When did they start? The miracles, I mean," asks Dean, the blind man.

This makes Roy sigh, and he says, "I wake up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figure out I have cancer. They tell me I have maybe a month.

So, uh, we pray for a miracle. I am weak, but I tell Sue Ann, 'You just keep right on praying.' I go into a coma. Doctors say I won't wake up, but I do. And the cancer is gone."

Then he takes off his glasses and shows his milky white eyes and continues, "If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I ever had it."

"And suddenly you could heal people," Dean says with a strange smile as if he has heard such a story a thousand times before.

"I discovered it afterwards, yes. God has blessed me in many ways."

This man is not lying or really believing in his story… the only one who is in distress hearing it is his wife.

But I can't differentiate yet if it is because of the bad memories about his cancer or because of something else…

She collects herself and says proudly, "And his flock just swelled overnight. And this is just the beginning."

Understandable in such a small community, when suddenly a miracle healer appears out of nowhere.

Dean seems conflicted because even without the super hearing you would know this preacher is not someone who would lie and that he really believes in his words.

He reminds me actually of the young man I met a few thousand years ago…

"Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?" Dean says somewhat vulnerable.

What is up with him? Does he see his life as not worth being saved?

"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest," Roy says after hearing Dean's words.

"What did you see in my heart?" Dean asks, looking seriously at the face of the blind man.

This makes Roy smile and he says, "A young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isn't finished."

This shocks Dean, and he only stares at the man.

Touched by fate like my girlfriend would say… It seems this conversation is over.

I probably need to witness another miracle healing to find out more about the reaper.

So I tap Dean on the shoulder and say, "Thank you for answering our questions. We will leave now."

"Sure, anytime, son. Sue Ann, I need to rest. Can you bring me upstairs?"

"Of course, you two can find the door yourself?" ask the caring wife, while grabbing her husband's arm.

We nod and leave the house, only to run into Layla after exiting it, who seems to be waiting with her mother to speak with the preacher.

Layla smiles, seeing Dean, and says, "Dean, hey."

But Dean, probably still processing what Roy said to him, responds only with "Hey," without his typical playful attitude.

"So, how are you feeling?" asks Layla and steps closer to him.

"I feel good. Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?"

This guy is dense. What would a young woman do at a miracle healer's house…

"You know, my mom, she wants to talk with the reverend…" Layla says a bit hopelessly.

Suddenly the door opens behind us, and Sue Ann steps out, saying, "Layla?"

Layla looks at her and responds softly, "Yes, I'm here again."

Not wanting to see the drama to unfold, I leave them all behind and walk to the car.

The situation is clear: a young woman with a strange illness and her worried mother who wants her to be healed.

But the healer doesn't choose her…

So the mother tries everything to get the healer's attention while the daughter simply wants to live the rest of her life in peace.

No wonder the mother looks at Dean as if he is her worst enemy…

After a few minutes, the mother-daughter duo leaves with tears in their eyes, while Dean is left behind looking like he doesn't know what to do with himself.