Chapter 10

Bobby didn't say anything to Dean, he knew it wouldn't do any good. The elder Winchester would come out of it. He always did. He would wallow for a day or two. He would then get angry at himself for wallowing, and he would come out of it. That was just the elder Winchester's process, as aggrevating as it was for his friends and family to have to watch. It was his pattern. He had to do his own, self-imposed penance before he could let go of his guilt and fix the situation.

Dean sat down on the bed and got really still.

Bobby waited a moment or two before he spoke. "Dean?"

Dean looked up at Bobby. He was not surprised to see tears in the young man's eyes. The elder Winchester angry wiped his tears. He hated to show weakness. He pressed on. "How much did Neal tell you?"

Bobby shook his head. "Neal gave me the short version. I want to hear the long version."

Dean had sat down, but he popped up again. And he started to pace as he talked. "I guess Neal told you about the text. We rushed over there, to Elisabeth's store. She…I came up with the plan out on the sidewalk, after we had seen what was going on inside. I managed to put myself between El and the bad guy, then…then everything went bad. I don't know what happened exactly. The next thing I know I'm on the floor and El is pressing down, hard, on my chest, trying to keep me from bleeding all over the place."

"Once the NYPD got in there, they recognized you." Neal had all but told the older hunter that fact.

Dean nodded. "Makes sense, one minute things were okay. The next…."

"Well," Bobby said standing. "You're rested. We're fed. Let's hit the road. We got a Winchester to spring."

"You talked to Neal?"

Bobby shook his head. He had completely forgotten that he owed the young man a call.

Dean grinned. "Don't worry about it. I'll call him once we're on the road." He said as he gathered up his clothes. Moments later they were on the road, headed for Austin, Texas.

SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC

"Hey!" Neal said when his phone rang. He had made up a name Jeff Lynard, from Jefferson Star Ship and Lynard Skynard. He knew no one would ever guess that it was Dean Winchester. He had made up one for Sam too, he was Jerry Starr, from Jerry Garcia and Ringo Starr. So when Jeffy Lynard come up, Neal breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried out of the office and went into a quiet corner beside the elevators in the hall.

"Hey, Caffrey! Thanks Man." Dean said. "You really came through for us. Bobby told me what you did."

"Glad to help." Neal paused, then asked. "What did Bobby do to get you out?"

Dean had not mentioned Sam yet, so he knew that Sam was still in Texas in prison. And Neal imagined that Dean and Bobby were in a car on their way.

"He used that spell book, The Necromancer." Dean explained. "He cast a spell where anyone holding an object with a spell on it had to do what the spell caster said. So Bobby used a coin. He gave it to a guard. He told the guard to open the door, that he was an FBI agent and he was under orders to transfer me to another facility."

"And the guy did it?" The conman was astounded. He didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, he turned off the alarm and alerted the sharp shooters that we were okay to leave." Dean sighed, still finding it hard to believe himself. "We just walked to the car, got in, and drove off."

"Wow!" Neal replied. "I told Bobby the book had some serious mojo. I had no idea how serious."

"Yeah…well." The elder Winchester paused. "Look, I…I'm sorry. I put your life in danger. I got Sam shot…I just…that stupid plan of mine."

"What?" Neal was genuinely surprised at Dean's guilt. "You didn't put me anywhere I didn't want to be. You didn't get Sam shot, the NYPD took care of that. And El…."

"Is she okay?" Dean asked.

"She will be." The conman paused. "You've got to come back through the city. I want to meet Bobby. And El is…she feels so guilty. Since she sent the text…."

Dean shook his head. "We would have gone anyway when we found out she was in trouble."

Neal nodded, even though he knew Dean could not see him. "I know that. You know that…. June has your clothes washed and packed. And she wants to see you, too."

"We'll see what we can do?" Dean said, grinning as he snuck a glance at Bobby in the driver's seat.

"I've got to meet Bobby. He sounds like a character." Neal stated.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Dean admitted. "I'll talk to you again soon, Neal. And thanks again."

"Absolutely, and tell me when you get Sam. Oh, and June's checked on the Impala. She's paid the parking fee for the month."

Dean was shocked. He couldn't believe he had forgotten all about his baby. They had left it in a pay lot in Jersey, as usual. "I can't believe it. I had forgotten all about my baby. We have to come back to the city. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Neal said, not waiting for a response. He just disconnected and slid the phone back into his pocket before he went back through the division office doors.

TBC