Need You Now
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: No, sadly, still not mine.
AN: Okay, so I owe ya'll a HUGE apology about this. I had almost the entire chapter written back in January but got distracted with a different plot bunny that decided to take over my life for almost the last year. Anyway, on that note this chapter goes out to my sister, who pushed me to pull out this fic and actually finish it. Moving on.
Chapter 11
Dean and Bobby walked down a dingy hallway in the Astoria Motel and knocked on the door for room 207. The door was opened a moment later by a pretty brunette in a blue plaid shirt.
"So where is it?" she looked between them expectantly.
"Where's what?" the younger man frowned.
"The pizza…" she prodded. "That takes two guys to deliver?"
"I think we got the wrong room," Dean replied.
In the room behind her, a tall male with shaggy brown hair emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey, is…" he stopped in his tracks when he spotted the pair in the doorway, shocked hazel eyes darting rapidly between them.
"Heya, Sammy," his brother flashed him a rather sheepish grin.
Sam remained quiet as the short male moved into the room, passed the girl in the doorway. As Dean drew near, the other pulled a knife from the waistband of his jeans and lunged. The lone female let out a scream as Dean blocked the attack. Almost immediately the older Hunter was there, grabbing the younger Winchester around the shoulders and holding him in place.
"Who are you?!" the shaggy haired brunet shouted, struggling against the hold.
"Like you didn't do this?!" his brother shot back.
"Do what?!"
"It's him," Bobby interjected. "It's him. I've been through this already, it's really him."
"What…?" Sam asked as he stopped struggling.
"I know," the short haired brunet gave a lopsided grin as he took a tentative step forward. "I look fantastic, huh?"
When he was sure the younger male wasn't going to attack again, Bobby let him go. Hazel eyes filled with tears he refused to let fall as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the shorter male. They held onto each other for several long moments, both trying hard to hold back their emotions.
"So," the young woman in the room spoke up, "are you two like… together?"
"What?" the shaggy haired brunet glanced over, having totally forgotten she was there. "No. No. He's my brother."
"Oh… got it. I… I guess," she looked confused and highly uncomfortable. "Look, I should probably go."
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry."
She quickly gathered her things, and the taller male walked her to the door. She paused at the threshold and gave him a coy look.
"So, call me?"
"Yeah," the younger Winchester flashed her an awkward smile. "Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."
"Kristy," her face fell in disappointment.
"Right," he chuckled slightly.
She shook her head and walked away. He closed the door and made his way back into the room, sitting down on the corner of the bed. His brother stood above him, his arms crossed. The looks on his and Bobby's faces held nothing but suspicion.
"So, tell me," Dean asked tersely, "what'd it cost?"
"The girl?" the younger male scoffed slightly. "I don't pay, Dean."
"That's not funny, Sam," his brother scowled. "To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"
"You think I made a deal?"
"That's exactly what we think," Bobby cut in.
"Well, I didn't," Sam insisted.
"Don't lie to me," the older Winchester snapped.
"I'm not lying," he shook his head.
"So, what now," Dean took a step forward, "I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? Or maybe it was Sev? Don't think I didn't notice the complete lack of your boy-toy here. I didn't want to be saved like this."
"Look, Dean," Sam pushed to his feet angrily, "I wish I had done it, all right?"
"There's no other way that this could have gone down," he grabbed the front of the younger's shirt. "Now, tell the truth!"
"I tried everything," he shoved the other off. "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? And Sev couldn't do anything. He's apparently got connections, not that he would tell me what those were, but they couldn't give him anything substantial. And without a precise location, neither one of us were willing to risk his going down there. You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So, I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Sammy," his brother relented. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."
"Don't get me wrong," Bobby shook his head, "I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."
"If he didn't pull me out," Dean finished for him, "then what did?"
After a few moments contemplating that question, they silently decided to move the conversation to the couch the room sported. Sam sidetracked briefly to grab a few beers before joining the others.
"So, what were you doing here," the short haired brunet took a swig of his beer, "if you weren't digging me out of my grave?"
"Well," his brother cleared his throat, "once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."
"All by yourself?" Bobby scoffed. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"
"Uh, yeah, kinda," Sam shook his head. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I should have called. I was pretty messed up. Anyway, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."
"When?" Dean frowned.
"Yesterday morning."
"When I busted out," the elder Winchester stated matter-of-factly.
"You think these demons are here cause of you?" the old Hunter scowled thoughtfully.
"But why?" the shaggy haired brunet asked.
"Well, I don't know," Dean said sarcastically, "some badass demon drags me out and now this? It's gotta be connected somehow. Anyway, you mentioned working with Sev, so where is he?"
"I haven't seen him in… god knows how long," a hand ran through the brown locks. "But he came and found me about a month after you were taken, right after he escaped from Lilith."
"Escaped, or was let go?" Bobby asked dubiously.
"No, Bobby," Sam shook his head as he sent the older man a glare, "he busted out with the help of his friends, Ron and Mione. I spent a couple weeks there while he checked out his leads on getting you out and finding Lilith. When nothing panned out, I took off. Figured knocking a few heads would be better than sitting around doing nothing."
"And what?" angry green eyes locked with hazel. "Sev was just okay with that? Or did you force him to stay behind? Or better yet, give him no choice in the matter, and just skip out in the middle of the night?"
"Look, Dean," his brother shot back, "things between me and Sev are kinda complicated right now. There's a lot of shit going on there that you couldn't possibly understand, so don't even try. And for your information, Sev couldn't leave, he had a deadline to keep. He said he'd call me if something came up, but that's about all he could do."
"So, if I called him right now that's what he'd say?" a single brow rose incredulously.
"Look, you're not gonna call Sev," Sam's eyes narrowed into a glare. "His deadline's at the end of the week and if I know him, he's spent the last forty-eight to seventy-two hours awake trying to finish his manuscript. So, please, for the love of god, leave him alone."
"Fine," the other held up his hands in surrender. "I'll let it be. For now."
888888
Sam sat behind the wheel of the Impala as he made his way back to the diner he and Dean had visited earlier. It had been a couple days since his brother's still unexplained miraculous return from the pit, and all they had to go on was the demons he'd followed to town and the name Bobby's friend, Pamela, had given them: Castiel.
He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number from memory. He really needed to talk to someone, maybe get some advice and a distraction. As it connected and started to ring, he placed it to his ear and hoped it wouldn't go to voicemail.
~Hello?~ it was picked up on the third ring.
"Hey," he couldn't stop the smile that crept across his face. "Did I wake you up?"
~No, just doing a few last-minute things. So, where'd your demons take you?~
"Pontiac, Illinois," he replied easily.
~Pon… You know, something big happened there the other day,~ there was a pause and the rustling of papers. ~Yeah, I meant to call you, but there's just so much… Anyway, I've never seen anything like it before. Might be worth checking out though.~
"I don't need to," Sam cleared his throat. "That's kinda why I called. Yeah, that thing you sensed, well, uh, Dean's back."
"Wait… Dean? But how is that even possible? I exhausted every avenue I had and came up with nothing.~
"That's kinda the question of the day," he sighed. "The demons don't know, and they're scared. We tried a psychic but all we got was a name before her eyes burned out of her skull."
~Damn. Is she okay?~
"Except the fact that she's blind now."
~I'm truly sorry about your friend,~ he could hear the sincerity in the other's voice. ~I know of several things that could do that sort of thing, and none of them are really pleasant. Anyway, you said you got a name?~
"Oh, yeah, Castiel," Sam shook his head.
~Castiel. Castiel, Castiel, Castiel. Doesn't ring any bells, but I can look into it.~
"You're the best," he smiled.
~I know,~ the amount of cheek in that response was almost tangible. ~Anyway, how are you doing? I mean, this whole Dean thing is mind boggling, and I'm not even there. I can't even imagine what it's like for you.~
"It's weird," he agreed. "I mean, he's really Dean, and he's really here. And I'm happy that he's back, it's just that I… I don't know, it's weird."
~I get it. How is he doing? No… aftereffects or anything?~
"No. No, he's good," he shook his head. "He's still the same old Dean. It's just…"
~What?~
"I want to tell him," Sam took a steadying breath.
~No.~
"What?" hazel eyes narrowed. "But why? He's my brother. He deserves to know the truth. Look, I trust him, he wouldn't tell anyone."
~Sam, stop,~ the other sighed. ~I did… I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying we won't tell him, we will, just… not right now. I do trust Dean, you know that, but,~ clear emphasis was put on the word, ~until we know exactly how and why he got brought back, we need to be careful. The few people who know the secret means a better chance of it being kept.~
"You're right," he heaved a heavy sigh. "Of course you are. It's just… I don't like keeping this from him."
~I know. But until we have more information, we can't. We will though, probably sooner rather than later. Now, back to those demons you followed into town. Why not take out some of your frustrations on them? And Sam, I'll see you soon.~
888888
Bobby sat at his desk in the living room of his house, silently going through various books and papers, trying to figure out their current predicament. Sam was sitting in a chair across the room near the kitchen, while his brother leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Well, then tell me what else it could be," the younger Winchester countered, obviously going around in circles with the other.
"Look," Dean scowled, "all I know is I was not groped by an angel."
"Okay, look, Dean," his brother sighed, "why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"
"Maybe he's some kind of demon," the short haired brunet shrugged. "Demons lie."
The older Hunter looked up from his books as the pair became more heated.
"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps?" Sam scoffed. "And Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"
"Don't you think that if angels were real," the elder Winchester insisted hotly, "that some Hunter somewhere would have seen one… at some point… ever?"
"Yeah. You just did, Dean."
"I'm trying to come up with a theory here, okay?" Dean threw up his hands in frustration. "Work with me."
"Dean, we have a theory," the taller male insisted patiently.
"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please," the other shot back.
"Okay, look," Sam rubbed his forehead tiredly, "I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we—"
"Okay, okay," the short haired brunet cut him off. "That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"
"You two Chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion," Bobby decided enough was enough, "or do you want to come take a look at this?"
The two brothers shared a look before moving over to stand in front of the desk.
"I got stacks of lore—Biblical, pre-Biblical," he continued. "Some of its in damn Cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."
"What else?" Dean asked.
"What else, what?"
"What else could do it?" the elder Winchester insisted.
"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" he scratched his head beneath his hat. "As far as I can tell, nothing."
"Ya know what?" Dean turned and pulled his phone out of his jacket. "I want a second opinion."
888888
Sev sighed as he stared at the large tome in front of him. He reached up and rubbed his eyes tiredly behind his spectacles. His research was getting him nowhere and he was thinking it might be a good time to take a break and maybe get some sleep. His emerald gaze drifted to his pocket watch next to the open book. Damn it, he'd stayed up all night again.
Well, that settled it, he definitely needed some sleep. He was just about to get up when his phone started to ring. With a tired whine, he shifted a few papers until he located the device.
He picked it up and held it in front of his face. The number wasn't one he recognized, and he almost ignored it, but his traitorous thumb reached out and accepted the call.
"Hello?" his voice scratched his throat from either lack of use or tiredness, he wasn't sure at this point.
~Hey, Sev,~ a voice he almost recognized filled his ear. ~I was wondering if I could pick your brain for a moment.~
"Who is this?" he frowned.
~Uh right,~ the other chuckled. ~It's me, Dean.~
"Dean who?"
~Dean Winchester,~ was the incredulous reply. ~Don't tell me you forgot me?~
"Ha ha, very funny," he replied dryly. "Dean Winchester was dragged to Hell and last I checked they don't have cellphones there. Well, at least not that deep in the pit."
~Dude, it's really me,~ the other insisted. ~Look, Sammy can verify it. Hey, Sam, talk to your boy-toy for a sec.~
~I told you not to call him, Dean,~ a voice he definitely recognized snapped. ~Look, Sev, I'm sor…~
~See, it's me,~ Dean was back.
"Okay fine, we'll say I believe you," he ran his hand through his hair, god he needed a shower too. "What do you want, Dean?"
~Damn, you sure know how to sweet talk a guy.~
"You called me, remember?"
~Right,~ he cleared his throat. ~Uh, so what do you know about angels?~
"Angels?" he scowled. "Can't say I know anything about them."
~So, you don't know if they actually exist.~
"I've never met one," the raven leaned back in his chair. "That doesn't mean they don't though. And a lot of people think demons, gods, and hell even Death don't exist either, but we know differently."
~But that's just it,~ Dean countered, ~we know this. We have proof.~
"I'm going to stop you there," Sev sighed. "Let me ask you this: When you go out on a hunt, do you always know what you're going after?"
~Usually.~
"No, Dean, you don't," he shook his head, not that the other could see it. "You follow clues until they lead you to a best probably guess. Now, I don't know why you're hunting angels, and truthfully, I don't want to know. But if you're looking for my opinion, theoretically, yes, they should exist."
~Theoretically?~
"Well, if you think about it, yeah," he answered calmly. "I mean, you have Hell, where your bad souls go and demons dwell; and then you have Heaven, where the good souls go. So, tell me, then, who's minding the store if not angels? And I mean, Reapers are technically angels, right? Now, if that's all, I'm going to go and sleep for probably the next twenty-four hours, so please don't call again. Goodbye, Dean."
888888
Dean scowled as he replaced the phone in his pocket. The other two men looked at him expectantly. His expression darkened as he crossed his arms petulantly.
"I take it he agreed with us," Sam prodded.
"Theoretically," the older Winchester pulled a face.
"Dean, this goes beyond theoretical now," his younger brother shook his head. "Sev just told you they should exist, and you actually met one. Dean, this is good news."
"How?" Dean challenged.
"Because for once," the shaggy haired brunet took a steadying breath, "this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"
"Okay," green eyes rolled in annoyance. "Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"
"At this point," Bobby scoffed, "Vegas money's on yeah."
"I don't know, guys," he shook his head.
"Okay, look," Sam held up his hands. "I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof."
"Proof?" the shorter male scoffed.
"Yes!"
"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally?" Dean shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."
"Why not?" the taller male countered.
"Because why me?" the short haired brunet looked between the pair. "If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"
"Dean—" his brother began.
"I mean," he ploughed on over the other, "I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."
"Apparently," Sam shrugged, "you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."
"Well, that creeps me out," the older male shook his head. "I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by… God."
"Okay, well, too bad, Dean," the shaggy haired brunet replied, "because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat."
"Fine," Dean cleared his throat. "What do we know about angels?"
Bobby picked up a pile of fat and weighty looking books and set them down in front of the short haired brunet, "Start reading."
Ammie: Okay, so there it is. I don't know when I'll be back around to this fic, cause the other one has still got it's claws in me, but at least it's something. Anyway, please let me know what you think.