Disclaimer: I do not own a single thing beyond Aeron and her story. Supernatural and everything associated with it belong to The CW and Eric Kripke.
I've been travelin' on this road too long
Just tryin' to find my way back home
But the old me's dead and gone
Dead and gone
T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake - Dean and Gone
Aeron walked back into the cabin, wiping the trail of tears off her cheeks and laughing bitterly at herself. She did this every time they parted ways and it always pissed her off that she was that attached to him, to the point that it was almost unhealthy. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the still open door. When she had found out about his deal she had felt a large part of herself break in two, yet she had never blamed him…never hated him for it. He loved Sam, and she understood that. When Dean died, she had struggled to keep sane, struggled to keep herself from falling apart.
Life without Dean had been beyond miserable. She had struggled to hang onto some semblance of dignity and hope. To be honest, she had done everything but that. She had, in all truthfulness, fallen into a cycle of drinking and hunting. Slowly she had been killing herself. Over and over the events of that night had played in her mind. She continually regretted that she hadn't been there. She hadn't been able to help Bobby and Sam's efforts to defeat Lilith and break Dean's deal. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as the memories of that night came to the surface.
May 1, 2008
Aeron cursed as she looked at the clock on her car radio. The numbers switched in a silent, mocking way.
11:45 p.m.
She glanced at her GPS unit hoping it would tell her she was closer than she really was. Instead, the unit kept steady, telling her there was 7 miles to Pontiac, Illinois. She pushed harder on the gas, urging her truck to go faster even though she knew deep down she wouldn't make it. She could only hope and pray Sam and Bobby had found a way to save Dean.
11:55 p.m.
Aeron turned onto the street and pulled up to the house, stopping suddenly when a man stepped out in front of the truck. She glanced around her and took in the sheer number of demons around the house. She glanced at the clock again, her eyes tearing up.
11:57 p.m.
She had to try, even if it meant losing her life in the process. If she could make it past them and onto the lawn, she would be fine. She could only assume the water in the sprinkler system had been blessed. She said a quick prayer, something she rarely did, swung open the door of the truck, and began the fight towards the lawn.
Her fingers dug into the grass and dirt as she tried to drag her body onto the lawn, kicking at the demon that clung to her legs. She was immediately soaked and the screaming demon finally released her legs. She wiped a trail of blood and water off her chin, taking a deep breath. She heard in the distance the chiming of a clock signaling midnight and her heart dropped to her feet.
12:00 a.m., May 2, 2008
Aeron scrambled to her feet, sliding on the wet blades of grass and ran towards the house. She began to bang on the door, screaming when it wouldn't open. Tears ran down her face as she heard screaming coming from inside the house and with one final kick to the door, it finally broke free, hanging on its hinges.
She raced down the hallway, the screaming guiding her through the house. She had almost made it into the room when a blinding light exploded out of the room. Covering her eyes she turning her face into a wall, trying to block it out. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking to make sure she was able to see. She walked towards the open French doors; hoping for the best, fearing the worst. As she entered the room she lowered her weapon and took in the scene before her. All she could focus on was Dean, lying in the middle of the room, his body broken, bleeding, torn to shreds. It took everything she had not to flee the room and vomit. She slowly began walking towards Sam who was clutching Dean's body against his own. It felt as if she were floating, as if she weren't there.
Sam looked up at the sound of her sob and her hand lightly, tentatively touching his shoulder. She fell to the ground beside him; her had on his back in an attempt to offer some kind of comfort, not that there really could be any, and stared into the dead eyes of Dean Winchester, tears running down her cheeks.
Present Day
Aeron stood and began gathering her clothes, trying to think of something besides Dean's broken and bloody body. He was back…he was fine. His body was completely intact and in fine working condition. She smiled at the thought as she slid her t-shirt over her head. Yes, he was in fine working condition. She slid on her pants and as she finished with her buckle she felt as if someone was looking at her. Aeron looked up and let out a gasp, reaching for her weapon.
"I will not harm you Aeron," the man said quietly.
"Who are you? And how do you know my name?" she asked as she leveled her gun at the man's head and chambered a round.
"I am Castiel. I am the angel responsible for bringing Dean back from Perdition."
Aeron kept her gun trained on him as she took a step closer. After a few minutes, and for reasons she couldn't entirely understand, she lowered and disarmed her weapon.
"What do you want?"
A/N: I am very sorry that this is so much shorter than other chapters, but I wanted to post something and this was about all I had lol. I hope that you enjoy it. To everyone that reviewed, thank you so very much...your kind words make this so much better :) The people here on the Supernatural side of are so kind, and for that I am grateful. They aren't that way in all fandoms. Thank you to all that put this in their favorites and/or alerts, even if you haven't reviewed, it is nice to know that you are reading! So please enjoy, reviews would be appreciated. Let me know what you think!
