Chapter 20:

Gaia's eyes flicked up to Lau as he stirred, narrowing them briefly. "Hey," she said quietly. "How you feeling?"

Lau grunted in acknowledgement, sliding his gaze around the hospital room. "Not half bad, considering," he replied. He looked to her. "What…happened? And how'd we get out?"

Gaia pursed her lips. "The masked guy that Pam had spotted taking off from the scene went after her and Jason. When he found us there, he took us by surprise, threatening to shoot Jason if we didn't knock ourselves out with the chloroform he'd brought with him. He figured we'd be more fun, so he locked Pam and Jason in a closet and brought us down to the basement. After a while he thought he heard something upstairs. When he left to go check it out, I managed to get free. I tried to go after him but he took off as soon as he saw me. Since I was wounded," she said, motioning to the bandages on her arms, "and wasn't sure what condition Pam and Jason were in, I cut my losses and called in backup."

Lau stared at her curiously for a long moment, soaking everything in. "And the truth? The reason you left to use the bathroom after talking to the kid in private? And the reason…her eyes turned black?"

Gaia paused. "She was possessed," she finally muttered.

Lau let out a long breath. "For something that would cause a lot more trouble, it's a lot more straightforward," he noted.

Gaia smiled dryly. "You can try the truth if you want, but I doubt it'd go over too well."

"I still don't know how we got out," he told her.

"I had called Sam for a consult," she replied. "That's why I went to the bathroom. He was on the phone when 'Pam' came after me. I'd mentioned where we were and Pam's full name. He tracked us down and sent help."

"Remind me to send him flowers," Lau mumbled.

Gaia's gaze snapped to the door as it opened, her eyes widening as she saw who it was, pushing herself to her feet. "Sam!"

"Thank God," he breathed, walking over and taking her in a careful hug.

Gaia returned the gesture. "What are you doing here?"

Sam pulled back, blinking at her. "You're kidding, right? Dean and I hauled ass as soon as our call got cut off. We called Bobby on our way cause we knew he'd be closest."

"Oh. Um…thanks," she whispered. "For the…backup."

Sam smiled tightly. "No problem."

"Hey…do I warrant an introduction?" Lau asked meekly.

"Oh, ah, yeah. Lau, this is Sam. Sam, Special Agent Kim Lau," she said, motioning.

"Nice to meet you," Sam said tightly.

"I have to say, it's nice to finally meet you without blood dripping from my eyes. And I want to note that Gaia's description did not do you justice," Lau said, smiling widely at Sam.

Sam blinked, glancing to Gaia who smothered a chuckle, and a subtle blush rose up the back of his neck. "Ah…thanks," he managed.

"So. Possessed," Lau spoke.

Sam's face grew solemn and he nodded. "Gaia told you."

"Not much else she could've done."

"True. Though I prefer to go with lying," Sam replied. "Had plenty of practice with it and it tends to go over better."

"I'm glad I got the chance to meet you to thank you in person," Lau said quietly. "You said some guy named Bobby was the one who helped us out?"

"Yeah. He lives nearby."

"Thank him for me."

Sam smiled slightly. "Will do."

"Where's Dean?" Gaia asked.

"Um, out in the hallway. Found a cute nurse," Sam said with a sly grin.

"Ah, I see," she murmured. "One sec." Sam nodded as Gaia went out into the hallway, looking up and down the hallway and spotting Dean leaning over a counter with his arms folded, a cocky grin on his face as he chatted up a young nurse at the front desk. She walked down the hall with a smile. "Dean!" she called. He looked up to her, surprised, and she took him in a hug. "Thanks for coming, sweetheart," she said. She pulled back and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "Come on, Sam's with Lau."

Dean stared at her with wide eyes, glancing to the nurse, who was now scowling at him. "Yeah. Sure," he muttered, falling into step beside her. After a few seconds of silence, he worked his jaw, annoyed, at her amused smile. "Did you have to do that?"

"Made me smile," she replied. Dean rolled his eyes as they arrived at Lau's room. "And it's not so polite to come to a hospital to visit someone who's just been attacked by a demon and then go flirting with the nurses," she scolded him, deadpan.

Dean let out a sigh at the remark, his expression tightening. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Gaia quirked the side of her mouth slightly, in interest at the sudden change in demeanor from flirty guy to worried protector, and nodded. "A little worse for the wear, but I'm fine, Dean. So is Lau." Dean looked to her left arm, his hands going out and taking it carefully, looking the bandage over with what seemed like a professional analysis. "I'm fine," she repeated.

Dean nodded, letting her go. "Good. How's your cover story?" he asked.

"Solid. Bobby helped me out."

"Alright. Lau know what really went down?"

"Yeah. He already knew the gist of what happened two years ago with you guys, so it wasn't that difficult," she told him.

"Good." Dean opened the door, going into the room, giving a tense smile to Lau. "Hey. You doing okay?"

Lau blinked at him and looked to Gaia, raising an eyebrow. "Really? Both of them are gorgeous and you didn't date either one?"

Dean's mouth opened slightly as Gaia grinned. "Lau, this is Dean. Dean, Special Agent Kim Lau," she repeated the introduction.

Lau nodded a greeting and Dean gave him a slight wave. "Nice to meet you. Ah, Sam? We shouldn't stick around," Dean noted.

Sam's expression tightened in annoyance but he nodded. "Alright. Gaia, we'll be in town for a few days, so call if you need anything," he told her, taking her in another hug.

"Thanks," she murmured. She gave him a grateful smile as he and his brother left.

"And they had to leave, why?" Lau grumbled as soon as the door shut.

"Don't much care for hospitals," Gaia replied.

"Or FBI agents?" he asked. Gaia stared at him impassively. "I saw how they reacted when you introduced me as a special agent."

"They've…kinda got a record," she explained.

Lau narrowed his eyes. "What kind of record?"