Burnt and Broken
11. The Spiral Downward
The first thing Lisa Braeden thought when she arrived in Clara Vista, California, was that the city was rather unremarkable. It looked just like any other city.
Bobby and Sam wore twin, utterly shell-shocked expressions when they saw her standing on their doorstep. She felt bad for not warning them, but honestly she hadn't even been sure she would come. She'd been going back and forth on the issue for a while now.
"Dean's not here," Bobby said after she asked.
"He should be in class, though," Sam piped up.
Bobby glared up at Sam.
"I don't want to cause any trouble," Lisa said slowly, feeling like she really shouldn't have come. "I just wanted to see him. The way we left things wasn't...wasn't preferable."
"No, I get it, it's just..." Bobby sighed and Lisa could see how troubled he was. "The kid's been going through a rough time. I won't tell ya, it's his business, you can ask him yourself, just be warned."
"Thanks, Bobby," she said gratefully. "I'll swing by the college and see if I can find him, otherwise I'll just come around again tomorrow."
"I'd offer to put you up tonight, but - "
Lisa shook her head. "No, please, I already checked in to a motel. Thank you, Bobby. It's good seeing you, Sam."
She waved goodbye and went back to her car. They watched her until she drove off and the closed the front door.
"Good or bad that she's here?" Sam asked.
Bobby shook his head. "Guess we'll have to find out."
SPNSPNSPN
The town is plain but campus is nice, Lisa thought to herself as she drove along the main road that ran through UCV.
She found the student center and parked by it. She went inside and asked the coffee people if they'd seen Dean Winchester around.
"Yeah, he's the one who caused that," one of them said darkly, nodding toward the janitor who was mopping up a spill.
"Why'd he drop his coffee?" she asked.
The guy shrugged and the girl answered, "He dropped it when he saw some guy. Went over and talked - looked pretty serious - then a girl came over and she and the guy left. Dean freaked out after they left; he threw his bag and started yelling. He scared everyone."
Lisa frowned. "Do you know where he went?"
"Anna Milton took him outside," the guy answered. "Don't know beyond that."
"Do you know where I can find Anna?" she asked.
They shrugged.
"No idea," the guy answered.
"Thanks," Lisa said, then turned around and left the student center. A girl with long brown hair and a curvy body followed her out of the building.
"Hi, you said you were looking for Dean?" she asked, a slight drawl in her voice.
"Yeah, and you are?"
"Meg." They shook hands. "He left campus a couple hours ago. Why're you looking for him?"
"I, uh...I need to talk to him about something," Lisa said evasively, and then tried walking away.
Meg kept with her. "About what? I'm Dean's best friend, we talk about everything."
Lisa stopped short. "So you know about his dad?"
"Of course I do!" she said, rolling her eyes.
"Wow, that's...He must trust you a lot," Lisa said, looking Meg up and down as she reevaluated her.
Meg grinned. "Thicker than two peas in a pod."
"Yeah, well, after what happened to his dad he became pretty messed up. We left things badly and I wanted to apologize to him," she said. "Do you know where I can find him?"
"Nope!" Meg said, then turned on her heel and skipped off.
Lisa was left feeling slightly as though she'd been deceived.
SPNSPNSPN
Meg went straight back to her dorm room feeling as though she'd just won the lottery. Something (she hoped it was shady) happened to Dean's dad and that was the reason they moved? Perfect fodder for the rumor mill.
She opened her laptop and searched "Winchester South Dakota," but all she got were some real estate addresses on Winchester Drive in a town called Pierre and a gun shop called Winchester Repeating Arms. She tried again with "Dean Winchester South Dakota accident." She clicked on the first webpage that popped up, a web article from a newspaper in a town called Sioux Falls, and began to read.
Tragedy struck last night with a late night accident on I-90 outside of Sioux Falls. John Winchester, father of Dean and Sam Winchester, was driving home to Sioux Falls when he hit a semi because he was in the wrong lane. The truck driver was mildly injured but the crash was fatal for Winchester.
When police arrived at the scene of the crime it became evident that Winchester was on the phone with his eldest son Dean prior to the crash. The cell phone was lying on the floor of the car and Dean was still on the phone, shouting for his father.
"He was late and I was trying to find out where he was," Dean told reporters.
Already motherless from a terrible in their early years, Dean and Sam Winchester have been living with their legal guardian Robert Singer - owner of a Singer Salvage in Sioux Falls - for several years now, and their father would visit when he could. Winchester was most likely distracted by the phone call from his son and police have reason to believe that Winchester was driving under the influence which an autopsy will determine.
The truck driver -
Meg didn't care about the stupid driver. She scanned the article for more about Dean and his father, but there was no more. She glanced at the date of the article: June 26. That was a few months before they moved to Clara Vista. She went down to the comments.
John had it coming
lol who drives drunnk AND talks on the phone?
The Winchesters are all just bad news
Like father like son hopefully? haha
I heard that on the phone Dean told his father to die...
whoever thought it was a good idea to let bobby raise the boys is a moron
Jon was a bad dad i herd
Meg shook her head. They were evidently not popular around Sioux Falls. She scanned back up to the one comment that caught her eye: I heard that on the phone Dean told his father to die...
Now that was perfect fodder for the rumor mill.
Her phone went off and she glanced at it.
Bela T
}}} pick me up, colt rd
{{{ On my way
She grabbed her keys and headed to the edge of town, where she was surprised to see Bela getting out of Dean Winchester's precious Chevy Impala.
"Did you just hook up with who I think you hooked up with?" Meg asked as Bela got into the passenger seat.
"Easy as taking candy from a baby," Bela replied.
Meg laughed. "Wait till you hear what I found out."
SPNSPNSPN
Dean was in a worse mood Tuesday morning than he had been Monday night, which was saying something. They always say that you'll feel better in the morning, but Dean would be the first to tell you that "they" are wrong.
He was on edge as he walked across campus to his chemistry class. He didn't want to see Cas, but at the same time he wanted to see Cas, and meanwhile he kept expecting Lisa to pop up out of nowhere and scare the shit out of him. He was so preoccupied with worrying about the two of them that at first he didn't notice everyone pointing and staring at him, whispering among themselves.
Anna came running up to him, breathless.
"Anna, I'm sorry about - " he started.
"Not now," she said, shaking her head. "Is it true?"
He stared at her. "Is what true?"
"What they're saying about your dad."
His insides went cold and he felt like he was about to fall over. Anna must've sensed this, because she grabbed his arm to steady him
"What are they saying about my dad, Anna?" he asked, his voice blank and emotionless.
She swallowed. "They're saying that he crashed his car on purpose because you told him to die."
He shook his head slowly, his mind spinning. He took a couple dizzy steps away from her.
"Not again," he mumbled. "This can't be happening again."
"What again? What's happening?" she asked. "Dean, tell me if it's true or not!"
"I have to get out of here," he said, turning and stumbling back to his car. Anna didn't come after him, for which he was grateful. He got in his car, slammed the door shut, and drove straight home.
SPNSPNSPN
"Did you hear?"
Cas turned to find Meg sitting beside him on the couch he was lounging on in the student center. He wasn't surprised she'd found him so quickly. Ever since he asked her out two weeks ago she never let him out of her sights if she could help it.
"Hear what?" he asked, his tone clear that he didn't really care whatever the rumor mill was spitting out this time.
"About Dean and his dad."
Cas froze. She'd never before mentioned Dean around him, knew it wasn't a good idea. From the amusement on her face she knew the full extent of his feelings and was doing this to hurt him. And how did she know about his dad?
"What about Dean and his dad?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and controlled.
"Dean's dad died in a car crash, but that's not all," she said conspiratorially. "Some people believe he crashed his car on purpose, because Dean told him to die."
Cas shook his head. "That's not true."
"Of course it is," she said, affronted. "I do my research."
"Dean wouldn't tell his father to die," Cas replied. "He loved his dad, despite their frequent disagreements."
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes.
Cas sat up suddenly. "How many people have you told this to?"
"Why?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
He grabbed her wrists so hard she gasped. He growled, "Meg, tell me how far you've spread this rumor."
"E-Everyone," she gasped.
He pushed her away from him and quickly began stowing his things in his backpack.
"Where are you going?" she asked, a tremor of annoyance running through her voice.
"I'm going to find Dean and make sure he's okay," he answered.
"Y-You can't!" she exclaimed. "You're not allowed to see him! I'll...I'll tell Naomi!"
"Go ahead," he retorted, shouldering his backpack. "Tell my step-mother whatever you want. I don't care anymore."
He started walking.
"Castiel!"
He kept walking.
"Castiel, don't you walk away from me!" she shouted. "I am your girlfriend!"
He stopped and turned to stare at her with a cruel, nasty smile. "Not anymore."
Her jaw dropped. "Are you...Are you breaking up with me?!" she screeched, gathering the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
But he kept walking, mind fixed on one thing: Dean.
SPNSPNSPN
Dean burst into the house, panting. "Sammy...Sammy, the rumor - it's back, the rumor..."
He stopped short as he came into the living room to see Lisa sitting on the couch with Sam, Bobby in his armchair.
"You," he breathed, mind reeling. "You. You're the reason - You spread the - "
"Dean, wait, I didn't - " Lisa started, getting up to walk over to him.
He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't...I can't..." He fled out the door and they heard the Impala peel out of the driveway.
The stunned silence didn't last long because a few minutes later Cas burst into the house.
"Cas?!" Sam and Bobby chorused in shock.
"Where's Dean?" he asked, looking panicked. "There's a rumor going around - "
"That Dean told our dad to die and that's why he got into a crash?" Sam finished. "Yeah, that's what people were saying in Sioux Falls. Dean couldn't take it anymore, people calling him a murderer, so we left."
"It's not true, is it?" Cas asked.
Sam looked shocked. "Of course not! How could you - "
"Just making sure."
"I didn't start the rumor," Lisa said, looking worriedly at all three of them. "I swear I didn't."
"Then who did?" Bobby asked.
"Meg," Cas answered.
Lisa looked confused. "Dean's best friend started the rumor?"
"Meg's not his best friend, I'm his best friend," Cas said hotly, feeling possessive suddenly.
"Well you haven't been acting much like a best friend recently," Sam said, folding his arms across his chest.
Cas looked apologetically at him. "Sam, I'm sorry, but now is not the time. Where. Is. Dean?" he asked again.
"Tore out of here just before you showed up," Bobby said. "No idea where he was headin'."
"He's running away," Cas told him as he fished in his pocket for his cell phone.
"How do you - " Lisa started.
"I just know, okay?" he thundered, shutting her up instantly.
Sam looked confused as Cas found Dean in his contacts. "He's not going to answer if you call."
"He'll answer if it's me," Cas said simply, then his the call button and raised the phone to his ear.
Everybody practically held their breaths, the air filled with anxious worry.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri -
"Hey there, Cas," Dean greeted, and Cas could hear the strain in his voice. "I always knew you'd call back eventually."
"Dean, where are you?" he said urgently.
"I-805. I'm a-gonna go to Mexico," Dean replied with a manic chuckle.
"Dean, this isn't funny," Cas snapped, then pulled his phone away from his ear briefly as the phone started talking to him. "The voice says I'm almost out of minutes!"
"Why don't you get step-mommy to buy you some more?"
"Please, Dean, just come back and we can talk about this," Cas pleaded.
"No can do, Castiel," Dean said. "There's no going back from here."
Tears welled in Cas' eyes. "I'm sorry, Dean, I'm so sorry. Just come back and I'll explain everything. Just..." His voice cracked. "Just come back to me."
Dean paused. "I'm sorry, Cas."
"What - "
Suddenly there was a horrible crashing sound coming from the phone.
"Dean?" he whispered, stone cold with fear. "Call 911," he told the three pairs of fearful eyes that were watching him.
Horns barked and tires screeched. Metal screamed as it crunched and Cas heard the airbag deploy.
"Dean?!" he repeated, the tears falling down his cheeks as he trembled violently.
Sirens wailed and Cas screamed, "Dean! No, please, no. Don't...DEEEEEAN!"
But the line went dead.
Um, not much to say...
Review please?
~Ki