Chapter Twelve: Gone

Dean pov

Dean was sprinting down the hall - leaving puddles of water wherever he stepped - when he ran into Sam. Dean slowed to a stop and tried to speak, but Sam interrupted too quickly.

"Dean," Sam uttered, a smile spreading onto his face. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Me too," Dean huffed, "and I don't think this can wait."

Sam was about to continue with his own agenda when he noticed how wet and panicked Dean was, the smile fading from his face. "What? What is it?"

Dean shook his head, hoping that Sam would mistake the wetness in his eyes as rain. "It's Y/N-" Dean choked on his works when he saw the light fade from Sam's eyes. Sam didn't even know what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good. "She's gone."

"Gone?" Sam spat, his eyebrows furrowed. "Gone where?"

"I don't know," Dean put his hands on his head. "She outside one second, and gone the next-"

"She was outside?" Sam shouted. "You let her go outside alone?"

Dean let his hands fall to his sides, becoming defensive. "You know I can't control her! And I was out there, trying to get her to come back inside, but then she was just gone-"

Sam suddenly pushed past Dean, running toward the door. Dean tried to stop him - tell him it was no use; he had already tried that - but Sam was fast. He was shouting out in the rain before Dean could get a word in.

He felt useless, hopeless, and guilty. Y/N was gone to chuck knows where, and it was all Dean's fault. In his flaming anger, Dean let out a shout and swung his fist at the wall.

Just as his fist was about to make contact, Cas appeared with his arm extended, and Dean's fist connected with the angel's palm. Surprisingly, Cas grabbed it, absorbing the force without even feeling it.

"Hello, Dean," he muttered, releasing Dean's hand and tilting his head. "Why are you angry?"

It took Dean a minute to catch up. Cas had just appeared out of nowhere... "Cas... Y/N is gone." Cas squinted in confusion, so Dean went on. "She was outside, and then she wasn't, and I lost her, I don't know where she is, Sam is looking for her, but it's hopeless, because she vanished, and-"

"Dean," Cas interrupted. "We will find her."

"Cas," Dean shouted back. "What part of vanished and lost do you not understand? She is gone. I'm willing to bet that Crowley or some demon took her."

Cas nodded. "I understand, Dean. I will find her. I pulled you from Hell. I can do the same for her."

Dean wanted to argue, but Cas had a point. He just had to have hope. "Thanks, Cas."

Cas nodded, lingering for a moment before disappearing. Dean waited for him go before continuing to wander down the hallway. He didn't feel the urge to punch anything anymore. He just wanted to be alone. This was all his fault.

Sam pov

"Okay, your turn," Y/N whispers, sitting with her legs crossed.

Sam looked to the floor before making eye contact again. "Why were you called Ryan by Crowley?"

Y/N hadn't been able to sleep one night, so she and Sam went into the library and hid between two of the bookshelves, taking turns sharing stories and asking questions. It often helped Y/N feel sleepier, and Sam didn't mind.

"Well..." she started.

"You don't have to tell me," Sam murmured. "You never have to tell me anything."

Y/N's tense expression softened and she looked into Sam's eyes, smiling. "Thank you. But I think I can tell you this one."

Sam nodded. "Then I'm all ears."

Y/N tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "My real name is Diana Ryan. I was adopted as an infant and my parents changed my name to what it is now."

Sam tilted his head, listening intently. "So, which one is your name?"

She gave him a confused look. "What? They both are."

Sam laughed quietly. "I guess I mean... Are you Diana, or are you Y/N?"

Y/N studied him carefully before echoing, "Y/N. I was never really Diana."

"That's good," Sam bit his lip, his face feeling hot. "Y/N is a beautiful name."

"Y/N!" Sam shouted, his voice stinging as rain pattered down all around him. He could barely see; the rain was so thick and heavy, soaking him. "Where are you? Y/N!"

Sam knocked twice before slowly opening Y/N's door. She was sitting on her bed, eyebrows raised. "Hey, Sam."

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that Dean is going out right now to get chinese," he informed her. "Just so you know where he is. I hope you're hungry, because Dean goes all out."

Y/N tilted her head. "So Dean is leaving?"

Sam squinted slightly. "Yes..."

Her face lit up. "Sweet! Get in here!"

Sam was very confused and flustered, hoping she didn't notice how red is face probably was as he slipped into her room. Was he reading into this too much? What did she want? His stomach was doing flips.

He slowly walked to her side as she continued on. "Not that I want Dean to be gone, necessarily, but this gives us some time alone." Sam's heart was racing. What did she just say?

"Sit," she commanded, pointing at the floor next to her bed. Sam did as he was told, sitting before her and looking up, still very stunned. "Turn around," she said next, making a twirling motion with her finger. Again, Sam moved as she directed so that his back was to her.

"I have always wanted to braid your hair, so if you don't mind..."

Sam let out a very quiet sigh of relief. He made a big deal out of a little situation. She just wanted to play with his hair, and didn't want to embarrass him in front of Dean. He was actually very appreciative of that. "Have at it," he replied, sitting up straighter. He should've known.

Y/N ran her nimble fingers through his hair, gentling braiding from the very top. The motion was almost enough to put Sam to sleep.

"Please," Sam pleaded, running around the outside of the bunker, rain still splashing down. Thunder rumbled above in the darkening sky. "Please, Y/N! Come back to me! Y/N!"

"A hunt has never gone worse in all my life!" Dean shouted, storming into the bunker and down the stairs. "I can't believe this."

Sam followed, very distraught as well. Dean threw down their bags, groaning. "I'm going to try and fix that dent in Baby."

As Sam entered the war room, he watched his brother rush off, and barely heard him shout, "those sons of bitches are gonna pay for hurting Baby!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw movement, and turned to see Y/N peeking out of the library.

"Sam," she called quietly. "What happened?"

Sam brushed off some of the dirt that was on his shirt and approached her. "Rougarou... It didn't go so well."

As he came up to Y/N - who was on the steps above him and therefore was as tall as he was - she furrowed her eyebrows.

Sam tilted his head, stopping a foot away. "What?"

She didn't say a word, but reached out and gently touched Sam's forehead with two fingers. He froze, staring into her eyes, even though she wasn't looking back at him. She pulled away, showing Sam the blood.

"Oh," he muttered, a bit distracted, "that happened too."

She frowned sympathetically and took his hand, pulling him toward the hallway. He blinked a few times and didn't move at first, but then he started to follow, staring down at her little hand in his.

Soon Y/N was pulling him into the bathroom and sitting him down on the edge of the tub. Sam didn't want to disturb her; she looked focused. She ran a cloth under the sink and returned to him, standing between his legs so she could reach his forehead.

It stung slightly as she dabbed the cut, but Sam was too distracted, staring into her eyes again. She looked so determined to fix him, and she was so close, he felt like her warmth was radiating onto him.

When she finished, she slowly lowered the cloth and looked down at Sam, realizing he was staring at her. He felt his face heat up, but didn't move his gaze like he normally would. Y/N blushed a little too, her face conveying no emotion as far as Sam could tell. They were just gazing at one another.

Then, she reached out and brushed her fingers against the side of his face, sending sparks flying throughout his body. Somehow, when she smiled at him, he managed to blush even more.

"I'm glad you're okay," she barely whispered, and Sam could've sworn she was moving a little closer, or that she glanced down at his lips, but he was so flustered he couldn't tell. He moved a little closer too.

Suddenly, Dean yelled, and it sounded like he had gotten hurt. Y/N whipped her head toward the noise.

Sam's heart sank a little inside him, but he offered, "we should go check on him."

Y/N looked back and nodded, grabbing a new cloth and hurrying out of the room. Sam watched her run off in a daze, her hair swishing behind her.

Sam didn't feel like she wanted to escape from him, he knew she was worried about Dean. But he had to sit there for a while, still going over what had just happened. Was he reading into it again? One thing was for certain; he felt something deeper for her. He didn't know what that meant just yet, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going down the path he was headed.

Sam had circled the building two or three times, finding no hints to her disappearance whatsoever. The rain was starting to give him chills, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. "Y/N! Please!"

Sam was woken from his deep sleep by the sound of faint whimpering. He sat up from his pile of blankets on the floor and turned to Y/N's bed. Sure enough, she was fast asleep, but she was twisting and turning, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sam quickly pushed off his blankets and came to her side, touching her shoulder gently.

She jolted awake, breathing heavily. At first she thought she was still stuck in her nightmare, but then she recognized that she was safe, her breath slowly calming. She was still shaking, but she wiped away her tears and muttered, "I'm sorry I woke you."

"That's what I'm here for," Sam replied quietly, pulling his hand away. "Do you think you can fall back asleep?"

She hesitated, but responded, "Yes. I'm fine now."

Sam nodded and returned to his spot the floor, listening to her sheets rustle as she laid back down. Sam made himself comfortable and closed his eyes, hoping he could fall back asleep too.

For a while it was silent, only the sound of Y/N's breaths filling the room, but eventually, Sam heard her clear her throat. He opened his eyes and turned to her, noticing that she was awake and staring at the ceiling.

"S-Sam?" she called out quietly.

Sam studied her face carefully. "Yeah?"

"Can you..." she paused, swallowing. "Can you just... Come up here?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. Did she want him to lean against the bed like he used to, so that he was closer? He sat up, scooting over to her side.

She turned to face him, her face showing Sam how scared she actually was. Her eyes were pleading and she was biting her lip.

"Here?" Sam asked, doing his best to do what she wanted.

She shook her head, sitting up and moving to the far side if the bed. Sam suddenly understood what she was implying, and nodded, slowly raising himself up and onto the bed. He sat back against the bed frame and held out his arms, letting Y/N lay her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the blanket over her, trying to make her comfortable. He could tell that she was, because she soon was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Sam's stomach was doing flips as he stroked her soft hair. He couldn't deny it anymore; he was falling in love with her. He wanted to resist it, because it never worked out for him - he always had to leave them behind due to his hunter lifestyle - but he needed Y/N in his life. She filled an empty place inside him and made him happier. He wasn't about to give that up.

"Y/N!" Sam shouted, thunder cracking above him. "Y/N, please! I need you to come back to me! Don't leave me like this!" He spun in a circle. "Y/N!"

"Sammy!" Dean hollered over the rain from somewhere behind Sam. "Come inside before you get sick or something. Cas is looking for her."

Sam turned to his brother, who had wandered out into the rain to find him, and was now equally wet. "I'm not giving up on her, Dean."

"I know you aren't," Dean stated. "But right now, getting soaked isn't going to help find her. Come inside."

Sam looked around one last time to check for her, then animusly following Dean back into the bunker. He could never really argue with Dean. Besides, he was colder than he wanted to admit. He just hoped Cas would hurry up and find her already.

Later, after Sam and Dean were dry and had been sitting around in the war room for a few hours, Dean finally spoke up.

"What did you want to tell me earlier?" he asked, spinning anxiously in his chair to occupy himself.

Sam rested his elbow on the arm of his chair and set his head on top of it, muttering, "What are you talking about?"

Dean crossed his arms, leaning back. "In the hallway. When I told you she was gone."

Sam finally caught up. "Oh," he whispered, "I just wanted to ask you for advice."

Dean raised his eyebrows, sitting up straight. "Advice?" he looked shocked, yet pleased. "From me?"

"Shut up," Sam groaned, the tips of his mouth turning up into a smile.

"About what?" Dean questioned persistently, leaning forward onto the table. "If it's your hair, I think you should definitely cut it. It's about time."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, Jerk."

"Bitch," Dean scoffed back. "Tell me."

Sam covered his face, mumbling, "It was about Y/N."

Dean laughed, pounding his fist on the table. "I knew it! Hah!"

"Shut UP," Sam groaned louder, blushing. "This is why I don't come to you for advice."

"No, wait," Dean cleared his throat. "I'm serious now. I'll be mature. Please tell me."

Sam let out a deep sigh, peeking up from his hands. Dean looked ready to listen, a steady expression across his face. Sam decided he didn't have anything to lose; Dean wasn't going to give up, and he was probably never going to see Y/N ever again, so this is pointless anyway...

"I haven't felt this way in a long time," he blurted. "I don't know what to do..."

Dean raised a brow, smirking. "Go on."

Sam shook his head. "I'm not good at figuring out if she feels the same way, or how I even feel, or if I should be doing anything, or if I'm reading into it-"

"Easy there, tiger," Dean interrupted, pausing for a moment. "How do you feel?"

Sam made a face. "I told you. I don't know."

"Or maybe," Dean speculated, "you don't want to admit how you feel."

Sam squinted, about to protest, but he closed his mouth to think. Maybe Dean had a point. Maybe Sam was not letting his deeper feelings bubble up, out of fear that he - or Y/N - would end up hurt. Maybe it was time he admitted them.

"I don't know..." Sam hesitated.

"I'm not going to judge you. I already know how you feel." Dean crossed his arms again, taking a serious stance. "I just want you to say it. Say it out loud."

Sam sighed, slowly meeting Dean's eyes. "I think I'm falling in love with her."

"Good!" Dean laughed. "Now you just have to tell her that. Based on what I've seen... She feels the same way. Besides, who wouldn't love a cute little guy like you?"

"Dude," Sam groaned, shutting him up. "Forget it. It doesn't matter now," he sighed. "She's gone."

Dean became stern. "When we get her back, you tell her. Got it?"

"She's gone! We don't know where to even start looking!" Sam shouted back. How could Dean say that so easily?

"There's a reason I said 'when'," Dean stated coldly. "When we get her back. We're going to find her."