Dean was gone. He'd been gone a lot since the angel had left. Sam had a pretty good idea why, and he didn't mind waking up sometimes to find himself alone.
Dean always came back. Sometimes he came back with food, something greasy that they really shouldn't have been eating, but Dean just laughed it off, assuring his brother that it wouldn't kill him.
Sam was sure of that. Nothing could kill Dean.
Climbing out of bed and stretching, Sam started packing. He needed to load up the car, needed to get a move on. He couldn't wait to slide in behind the wheel of the Impala, couldn't wait to leave the town with the gorge and the angels and the evil psychics far behind. He deserved better. He deserved normal.
He wasn't going to get it, though. Not as long as Dean needed him, not as long as that conversation was burned into his brain. Out of everything his brother had wanted, Sam's life had topped his list. That was something the young psychic didn't take lightly.
o0o0o0o
He looked down into the gorge. They hadn't found Claire's body. They probably never would. No one had even found the body the demon had been inhabiting, and Dean had been thoughtful enough to move it into the shade. He'd even said a little blessing over it, nothing special, just the first thing that had popped into his head. The poor man's soul deserved to be at rest.
Now, Dean stood at the edge of the gorge, looking down at the drop, his heart pounding as memories came rushing back. The angel saving Sam, taking Dean's hand. It had all happened so fast after that. The wings, the smile, the pat on the back. "Someone's looking out for you, Dean. Someone thinks you're pretty deserving." It was about time.
Smiling widely, Dean threw his jacket to the ground beside him and dove head-first into the canyon, yelling as adrenalin coursed through his body and the ground came rushing up with incredible speed.
He almost wanted to hit the ground, to feel a little pain just to make sure he wasn't dreaming, that his life hadn't taken the turn he thought it had. It was too good to be true.
He'd actually let himself die a few days before, had lain in the bottom of the gorge, covered in blood, half of his body broken, just to know that he was alive. It wasn't a dream. Somebody up there really did like him. Somebody knew what he'd given up in his life, and had decided to give back a little. It was a good feeling.
Just before he hit the ground, mere seconds before he ate hard-packed dirt, Dean spread his wings and flapped them hard, sailing upwards with a speed he'd never imagined he could possess. For once, he'd gotten what he wanted.
o0o0o0o
"Where've you been?" Sam demanded as Dean burst through the balcony doors and tossed his jacket onto the bed.
"Out."
Sammy rolled his eyes. Oh well, it wasn't like he was covered in blood this time, so what did it really matter. "You ready to leave?"
Dean nodded, grabbing his jacket and struggling back into it as he grabbed three bags full of weapons and ammo and carried them effortlessly toward the door. "Sure you're up to it?"
"I'm fine. I'll live, remember?"
The elder grinned. "How could I forget?" Sam had been awake, he'd discovered, since Dean had killed the demon. He'd heard the whole conversation about the wings, had only blacked out right before Gabe's failed attempt to get them back. So, yeah, Psychic Boy had been a little surprised to find an angel hovering over him when he'd first come to.
The brothers left the room and headed out to the Impala, which had been faithfully waiting for them. "Where we going?" Sam asked as he popped the trunk and began loading bags in.
"I was thinking," Dean began, glancing around the abandoned lot before stripping his jacket off and throwing it into the trunk, "Nebraska."
"That's not funny, Dean."
"It's not a joke. The way I see it, that son of bitch is gone now, which means the Colt's up for grabs again. We need to find it, and Ash can help."
"How?"
Dean shrugged. "Not sure. He'll think of something, though."
Sam nodded, slamming the trunk shut and pulling open the driver's side door. "So, Nebraska it is."
The angel nodded. "Nebraska." He smirked. "Race ya."
And with that, Dean took off into the sunset, leaving Sam in the car, laughing harder than he had in a long while. No, he couldn't leave. Not now, not when his brother was finally starting to enjoy himself. Now, he would go to Nebraska. Now, he would follow Dean wherever the elder wanted, because he deserved that much, at least.
THE END.
Thanks again for all the support. On Angel's Wings 3 is coming soon!