Of all things Dean Winchester hunted, witches were always and would always be the one that he hated hunting the most. This one though had been just a bit more rough on him that he ever thought imaginable; he had just heard after all that his life simply could not be saved from hell, a one-way trip he would be getting on soon. Ruby had simply put it in facts that he was a lost case, and that no matter what would happen in the following months he could not be saved.
Dean waited outside his hotel room a few more minutes after the demon had disappeared. He needed time to take everything in, while he knew that he sure as hell could not tell Sam about his little meeting. Sam had faith, Dean knew that, and he never would try to take that from his brother. Lately Dean had seen him becoming more distant, and the soft sweet Sammy was slowly leaving to be replaced by hardcore, 'don't give a damn what I'm killing' Sam, so maybe that faith he kept of saving his brother what the only part he had left that kept him alive.
After minutes of thinking all sorts of crazy things Dean finally decided to get in and see what his brother was up to.
"Where have you been?" Sam asked as he packeted up the rest of his stuff in his bag pack.
Dean had to think for an answer, and fast before Sam could read him; something he could easily do now that they had been on the road together for so long. "Just went to the vending machine outside to get a soda."
Sam looked at his brother and could see that he was lying but said no more. "So I'm guessing that sleeping on a ripped off mattress isn't your idea of a good night of sleep, so I thought maybe we should get going to whatever is next on our list."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Dean looked down at some newspaper clippings on the small table to check out what his brother had found for their next gig. "What you got?"
"Mysterious deaths near Salt Lake City. I thought we could check them out see if it's our kind of stuff."
"And how do we know it is?" Dean was totally in on leaving right away, but with the night he just had, and the news about his deal being unbreakable, he would need more than just a maybe before going out in the middle of the night without even catching some sleep.
Sam zipped his bag shut and dropped it on the bed in front of him. "I don't know, Dean. Look, whatever is out there we should be checking it out, we always do."
"Yeah, but we just don't leave town in the middle of the night now do we? Last time we went on a chase in the middle of the night was..." Dean stopped a quick second. "Wait, are you having visions again?"
Sam looked at his brother like he was crazy. "No. Why would I need to have visions before we leave on a hunt? You're the one that's usually ready to go all Rambo on us as soon as you hear about a hunt and now you act all scared."
Sam had hit a weak spot, Dean knew it. Was he scared of living now that he knew he couldn't get help? Maybe he just wanted to live out the best he could until he had to go. Maybe he just wanted to take it easy until it was time, just make sure his little brother would be fine once he would be dead. He now lived in fear; fear that Sam would become what others had told him about, fear that it would be too late and that he never could save his brother like he had promised his father more than a year ago.
A cellphone rang and the boys both look at each other for a few seconds before Sam sighed. "It's yours, man."
Dean could see that Sam did not want to fight, and after tonight's revelation from Ruby Dean did not want to go there either. He took his phone from his right jean pocket and answered.
"Hello." He said, his eyes still on Sam.
"Dean..." It was a familiar voice, Dean knew it. It was a woman's voice, one he could never forget.
Dean was left speechless and felt his knees gave in as he sat on the bed behind him. How could this be? How could she still be alive?
"Dean, are you there?"
The oldest Winchester looked up at his brother, still holding his cellphone to his right ear. He wanted to say her name, but was afraid this was all a dream.
"Layla?"