Skylar sat in the backseat of the Impala behind Sam while Dean pressed Baby to a dangerous limit. She winced as the engine continued to rev, reaching well over 100 miles per hour. Dean had a habit of driving fast, but not recklessly. He was swerving in and out of traffic while he and Sam continued to argue about the world, Lilith, Lucifer, demon blood, and Dean's newfound interest in his young bride.
Skylar's cheeks heated each time the topic turned to her. Sam was clearly upset, thinking that Dean was taking advantage of her during this difficult time. When she had dared to speak her own thoughts on the subject, they had turned to her simultaneously, telling her to 'shut up.'
Castiel sat quietly beside her, not a thought etched onto his face. Considering he could teleport to any location he wanted to, he had decided to tag along incase his opinion was needed during the conversation. After nearly a half an hour on the road, he hadn't spoken once.
"Where do you get off telling me how to live my life?"
"Clearly you aren't doing a good job of it, Dean, considering all the shits that's happened since you've been back."
"So what? Every broken seal is my fault? Maybe the first one…but not after that."
"You need to lose the attitude and refocus on hunting. You've clearly become distracted and need to snap out of whatever this is," Sam gestured to Dean's whole body, indicating that he needed an adjustment all over.
"And maybe you need to shut the hell and get a haircut you sissy son-of-a-bitch."
"And there it is…" Sam rolled his eyes.
"And 'there it is' what?!"
"Every time I try to have a civil conversation with you, you attack my masculinity."
Dean snickered. "To attack your masculinity, you'd actually have to have a manly bone in your body."
"Is this necessary?" Castiel interrupted. However, the guys didn't pay him any mind and continued their incessant ranting.
Dean started once again. "And where's that demon whore of yours huh? Did she decide you were too touchy feely and emotional? After all, it must take a lot out of her to pull your puppet strings and pretend she's having a good time fucking you. It's all for manipulative purposes, you know."
Sam racked his fingers through his hair and spoke in a low tone that didn't go unnoticed. "At least she's not jail bait."
"Excuse me?!" Dean barked. Skylar winced visibly.
"Come on, Dean! You've always had a problem with barley legal girls…or girls who aren't legal at all."
"Are you accusing me of sleeping with under aged girls, you sick psycho? Since when is looking a bad thing?"
Sam gestured to Skylar sitting in the backseat. "What do you call that?"
"My wife!"
"Who is a kid!"
"And I haven't slept with her, Sammy. Give it a rest."
"Now why do I find that hard to believe considering how we caught you red handed?"
"Hanging out naked does not constitute as fucking, thank you very much."
Castiel chimed in once again. "I think we should start discussing our plan of action…"
"I can't leave you alone for two seconds…" Sam began in exasperation.
"Well, it's your own fault for leaving in the first place…and I don't need a damn chaperone."
"Clearly you do."
"Bite me," Dean bit back before speaking heartlessly. "You're just jealous because Olivia wants nothing to do with you, Jessica died, and your demon whore has no intention of sticking around."
"Enough!" Castiel finally said, gaining the attention of the brothers for the first time since they left the motel. "You both have said what you need to. Lilith and the last seal; that is what we are to be discussing."
The car became eerily quiet; uncomfortable to a deafening degree. Skylar's mouth hung open at Dean's words that he dared speak to his brother. In all honesty, she felt little sympathy for Sam when he left with Ruby. It was his own choice to let the addiction take him over. Furthermore, he hadn't been around much over her lifespan, calling her and Dean's branding 'pointless.'
Her thoughts turned to March of 2004.
She had met Olivia one time when she was twelve years old, and the chick was a total bitch. It was one of the few times that Dean had dragged her with him on the road for a short trip during Spring break, much to the delight of her father. Dean said it was time to pop in our Sammy at Stanford, despite how much he hated his brother going away to college.
Olivia had been there at the same time; had made fun of her for being so young and skinny, making it a point to tell her how abusive her future husband was going to be. It was as if her mission was to ruin a young girl's life, because at that point, Skylar knew that Dean was her life.
It wasn't long after that that Olivia decided to run away from Sam all together and forget about being branded. It made no sense how someone could simply run away from doing what they were made to do.
And then Sam had met Jessica and suddenly everything made sense…until she died a gruesome death that mimicked their mother's.
"You're right, Cass," Sam finally spoke. "Once we stop Lilith…it's all over."
"Meaning?" Dean said, looking at his brother sideways and with a perplexed expression.
"You and I, Dean. I'm done. I'm done with your anger…with your 'shoot first, ask questions later' attitude; I'm done holding your hand and talking you down from every damn ledge that you hang off of."
"So what? You're done being my brother?"
"Since you clearly have everything that you want right now…and I have nothing…I think you'll survive."
Dean pulled up to the bar that Ruby had told Sam to meet her at. The bitch had called shortly after their blow up to indicate that she knew of Lilith's location. It had been an uncomfortable 8 hour drive, to say the least. By pushing the Impala to an impossible limit, he had shaved nearly 2 hours off of the trip. Thank God he had, despite where they were heading, because he couldn't stand to be in the presence of his brother for another moment.
Sam was going to leave and stop being his brother. What did that even mean?
Dean had to admit that he had spoken harshly in regards to Jessica, the love of Sam's life. But he meant every word he said about Olivia and Ruby. Sam was better off without the both of them, and his brother was mistaking 'love' for something far more sinister.
However, Sam had no right to tell him how to treat his relationship with Skylar.
He couldn't sit back and listen to his little brother berate him about what he did with Skylar behind closed doors. Dean was beating himself up about it enough without hearing Sam say how wrong it was. She was his legal wife. Why did it have to be so wrong?
He knew why. She was no different than she had been when he married her a short time ago…a 16 year old girl. But after spending time with her, she wasn't the helpless creature that he had pegged her out to be. She was far more superior than he previously had given her credit for. And while she remained on the weak side, she never complained when he threw her into a fight. She stood her ground and did her best.
And yes, she was young in years. But after watching her hunt, spending countless hours in each other's company, and witnessing her desire, she no longer felt like that girl he watched grow up the in a small town in Illinois. She was his wife completely. And he knew that no matter how much he denied it, she would be his wife in every way imaginable – soon.
"Are you coming?" Sam asked half-heartedly as he began opening the door to the Impala while Dean stayed rooted in place, deep in thought.
"I don't see why I should. I'm sure you and the demon can handle it."
"Dean…"
"Sam!" Dean cut him off curtly. "Just go."
Sam, Castiel, and Skylar reluctantly got out of the car and began to enter the bar through the back alley.
To her surprise, Dean quickly got out and reopened the back door of the Impala.
"Sky, get back in," he said calmly.
"This involves all of us, Dean. If Ruby has intel on how to kill Lilith and where she is, we should go inside and hear her out."
"Get…in," he bit through his teeth harshly.
"Dean…"
"Now!"
When she remained unmoving, glancing between the opened car door and the entrance to the bar, it was clear that Dean's patience was wearing thin. Skylar took one step towards Sam and Castiel who were waiting for her to join them.
And then it happened.
Dean reached her in two long strides, murder in his eyes. His lips were shaking from his anger. Dean grabbed her by the upper arm while his other hand grabbed a fist full of her hair, causing her to instantly see stars. Skylar attempted to break free, but it only made the pain worse. He drug her backwards to the car, physically throwing her into the back seat by the nap of her neck.
She slid across the leather, hitting her head on the other door. She winced, clutching at the pain. She could hear the door slamming shut, however Dean did not get back inside. The pain was blinding, but not nearly as bad as the pain in her chest of knowing what had just happened.
Skylar was experiencing a mixture of emotions; hurt, anger, fear, and emotional distress. This was not happening. Only this morning, she had been experiencing an intimate moment with Dean, telling herself with confidence that he would never hurt her. Her vision cleared substantially enough to notice that Castiel was acting as a barrier between Sam and Dean despite the tension that lingered in the air.
Sam was red faced and screaming while Dean leaned against the Impala, his arms crossed and shoulders slumped in defeat. Sam then turned around and sauntered away with anger still evident in his stride while Castiel following behind. The angel turned around and continued walking with hesitancy while keeping his gaze riveted on Dean in disbelief.
When everyone was gone, save for Dean who stayed rooted in place, Skylar quietly opened the Impala and leapt out, running down the dark alley with tears streaming from her eyes.
It was far too much. She grew up with an emotionally abusive father and now her husband just physically assaulted her. What had she done in her life to deserve such treatment? She ran around the corner, instantly hitting a hard object, causing her to stumble backwards and fall to the ground.
She looked up, and what she saw made her blood run cold.
"Daddy?"
Dean mentally cursed himself for what he had just done. Never in his wildest imagination had he even thought it would be possible to lay a hand on his wife. But there she was, defying his orders. He wanted her nowhere near Ruby…he wanted her nowhere near Lilith. This wasn't her battle, and Dean loathed that she had to be with them at all for what was about to happen.
Dean racked a hand over his stubbled jaw, breathing deep in defeat. How many more times was life going to fuck him in the ass? Not only was the world literally hanging on his shoulders, but now he had to make up with Skylar. Something told him that the later was going to be much harder than simply taking down an ancient demon bitch.
Dean breathed into the night air, suddenly feeling uncertain about getting back into the car. There was no way in hell she would want to be around him right now, and he couldn't blame her. She was her own person and didn't deserve to be treated that way…especially for something as simple as thinking for herself.
For the first time since marrying her, Dean finally admitted that Sam was right. He was a shit husband.
The poor girl hadn't lived the best life, and now she was experiencing a nightmare; being shackled to an abusive man. Dean closed his eyes against the harsh thought. What had he become?
Not five minutes had passed before Sam and Castiel exited the back door they had previously entered, a perplexed look on their faces.
"That was fast," Dean croaked out in his most manageable voice considering the recent turn of events.
Sam's face was still set into a hard line as he racked a hand through his long hair. "She's not here."
"What you mean she isn't here? We just drove all day for nothing?"
"No, I think she's in town. She's just not here…in the bar."
"Okay," Dean shoved his hands into his pockets. "Have you any idea where she might be?"
Sam seemed to be searching his brain for an answer. "She said something about a church. That Lilith was going to open hell and release Lucifer in a church."
"Okay, so we search churches. My guess would be Catholic. Thoughts?"
Sam nodded his head, though he kept his gaze adverted from Dean. Suddenly, his brother's eyes drew together, furrowing considerably as he cocked his head to the side. He swallowed hard.
"Where's Sky?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "In the car, obviously."
"No, Dean. She's not."
Dean turned around quickly, looking into the backseat to notice that Sam was right. Skylar was nowhere to be found. Terror struck him in the chest before he forced himself to take a calm breath.
"Shit," he said quietly.
"She probably wanted to walk off some steam…after what happened," Castiel said as the voice of reason.
"I swear to God if that bitch has done anything to her."
"Cass is right, Dean. Why don't you take responsibility for your actions and admit for once that she's gone because of you. This has nothing to do with Ruby."
"And your still defending that cunt despite standing you up," Dean said with a sideways glance. "She has her hooks in you, Sammy. When are you going to realize this?"
"And when are you going to admit that you can't continue living the way that you do? You're so fucking screwed up that you don't even see it!"
Dean nodded his head, chuckling with malice. "Maybe you're right. I am a screw up. And right now, my wife is missing. She's missing because of me; she missing because of this life that I tried to leave and wanted no part of anymore! You couldn't just leave well enough alone."
Dean reached into his pocket, taking his cell out and quickly calling Skylar's phone. He prayed that it was on due to the fact that she never used it. He breathed a sigh of relief when it began ringing.
Ring…ring…ring…
"Hello?"
"Sky…," he began, but stopped short while a sense of dread took him over. "Ike?"
A/N: Sorry for the tense chapter! I hope you can all forgive Dean. I know he is a major ass here, but we all know that Dean sucks when it comes to controlling his temper, he was just forced back into doing what he swore he wouldn't, and considering how much he hates Ruby, he completely lost it.