For months he has the same dream over and over again - and it always starts the same way. He sees Charlie and Sam around the table in the bunker and then a monster comes busting in. What monster it is varies between everything from witches to ghosts, basically. Nothing they can't handle.
But this night it's different. It's Dean himself as a demon - attacking Charlie and beating her up, his bare hands in her pale face, covered in blood, blood that has the same colour as her beautiful red hair… Stop it, stop it, stop it. He has completely lost control of everything. Any urge of trying to pull back and stop is useless. Nothing works - all he can do is punch and punch and then punch again.
His head screams for air, how the hell does he do this? Why does he keep beating up the girl that means the world to him? And most importantly - why isn't he crying instead of still feeling so angry? His eyes have turned black and his mind is set on one thing only; to kill. Well, someting like it, anyway.
He wants to throw up when he sees Charlie laying there in his arms - utterly destroyed. Black smoke leaves his body and everything changes in a split second. Light finally comes back to him and he realises what he has done. It was his hands and he alone who did all this damage - not just to Charlie but to himself.
Eyes open. Hands collide and looks exchange.
"Morning sleepy head. Bad dream, huh?" Charlie says softly, keeping her eyes fixed on his.
"Morning. And yeah… well." He smiles unsurely, not sure if he can continue without his voice
breaking.
"Never seen you that scared. Like ever, are the nightmares really that bad?" She gives him a concerned look.
"I-I..I thought I lost you," he stutters and his eyes tear up.
"Shh.. Dean. It's okay, I'm right here." She places both of their hands on her heart. "And I'm alive."
She does this after every nightmare, because she knows it soothes him. To feel her heartbeat, to be reassured it's still there. But it's just not enough this time. He needs something more. With their hands still on Charlie's heart, they get closer and closer, until their lips are touching and just like that, the images in his head are gone