Shame blood limping back to Sam his brother's scared face shame dad not noticing that something was wrong shame Sam's fear and determination Bobby and dad screaming at each other fear pain shame –
Dean jerks upwards, gasping. He curls up, wrapping his arms around his legs and putting his head down, ignoring Cas next to him and the angel's worried questions.
It takes a few minutes for his breathing to calm down. Cas reaches out to touch him, but Dean flinches away from his hand, and Cas pulls back, making a low, distressed sound. Dean tries to relax his muscles slowly, breathing out the tension in his body. Cas is silent, merely sitting next to him motionlessly.
"Sorry," Dean mutters. It's just Cas. It's just Cas. He reaches out blindly to fumble around until he finds Cas's arm, and then pulls the angel towards him, leaning on him slightly. Cas slips an arm down around his waist, encouraging the movement. Dean goes reluctantly, but it feels good to be wrapped up in Cas's arms.
"You have nothing to apologise for, Dean."
Dean lets out a deep breath. He turns into Cas, letting the angel support him. Cas fits them together easily, like he's been doing this far longer than he has been. Cas runs a hand through his hair and Dean tucks his head under the angel's chin. They sit like that and Dean tries not to think about anything to do with his dream. Instead he watches the fall of sunlight over Cas and the bandage on his thigh and how it creates shadows and dips on his bare skin.
"How are you feeling?" Cas asks him.
"I'm fine, Cas," Dean mumbles. Cas doesn't call him out on the lie, but Dean can feel the angel's concern in the set of his shoulders and the way his hands are soothing his skin. "How are you?" He asks, trying to divert Cas' attention by running a hand over the bruise on his shoulder. "Sorry I bit you."
Cas shrugs. "It does not hurt," he says.
"Still," Dean says softly. Guilt starts to worm through him. Cas wouldn't do anything to hurt him, he knows that. He shouldn't have reacted like that, even after dreaming of that.
A few more minutes pass before Dean begins to feel cooped up. He leans back, Cas letting him go reluctantly, to slide out of the bed and stretch, feeling his back pop. When he turns to look at Cas, the angel is sitting up, watching him like he usually does. Dean holds out his hand, and Cas tilts his head as he reaches out to grab it. Dean pulls him to his feet, putting a bit too much force into the action, so that Cas ends up pressed up against him. Dean ducks his head to kiss the angel softly, and Cas leans up into it.
"Come shower with me," Dean whispers against Cas's lips. The angel narrows his eyes slightly.
"I thought you said that you should not enter the bathroom while someone else is in the shower?"
Dean raises his eyebrows. "Uh, yeah, when you're not in a relationship, it's pretty taboo."
Cas blinks. "So now that we are, it is considered appropriate to be there while the other cleans themselves?"
Dean smiles for half a second. "That's not really why they come in while they shower Cas."
Cas tilts his head, and in answer Dean leans down and kisses him again, putting more force into it while he rests his hands on his hips.
When he leans back, Cas blinks a few times before saying, "Oh."
"Yeah," Dean smirks. "Oh."
Cas looks at him, eyes searching his. "Dean," he says softly.
Dean's jaw tightens. "Cas, don't."
Cas moves his hands up to cup Dean's face, eyes gentle. "I understand. You do not have to push yourself."
Dean twists his head, breaking free of the angel's grip. "I'm not."
Cas doesn't say anything, the silence hanging between them heavily. Cas reaches out to take his hands, and Dean looks down at them silently. He slowly leans down to rest his forehead against Cas', closing his eyes so he doesn't have to see the understanding in the angel's.
"You are going to be alright Dean." Cas tells him softly. "Maybe not now, maybe not in a month. But you will be alright, someday. And I am going to help you get there."
Dean feels his throat clog. "Thanks, Cas," he whispers.
They stand there for a long time.
The days skip past as they wait for either side to make a move. Cas's cuts heal, and the stab in his thigh closes quicker than it should, Cas's hypothesis about his healing coming true. They loiter at the Roadhouse, working for their keep, waiting, endless waiting.
They pass the time in different ways. Dean teaches Cas how to play pool and poker, the angel getting very good at the card game. Dean warns him multiple times that counting cards is illegal, but Cas's memory combined with his expressionless face make him a tough opponent to beat. They go out to shop for a wardrobe for Cas, bringing home more than he probably needs. Dean gets to know Cas in the small ways, like how he is in the morning when he's just woken up, and what he does with his free time. Cas also talks about his past when prompted, usually by Sam, who listens with wide eyes as Cas describes historic battles and what it was really like in Egypt three thousand years ago.
A few weeks after Cas has been back at the Roadhouse, Dean decides to scratch the itch he's been feeling for a while. He finds Cas in the kitchen, looking slightly confused as he attempts to navigate the laptop. It makes Dean smile as he slides his hands over Cas's shoulders.
"Hello Dean," Cas says, looking up at him. Dean glances at what he's looking at – some news website in Arabic or something, what the hell – before kissing the top of his head.
"Wanna do something fun?"
"I am reading about the –"
"Yeah, yeah, that's not fun. Come on," Dean says, lifting an eyebrow and trying to copy Sam's puppy eyes. By the way Cas doesn't immediately leap out of the chair, he thinks he's failed.
"What is it?"
"Come and spar with me. There's a gym here, and I haven't fought anyone in ages." They'd still been going through the Enochian, but Dean hadn't wanted to put any strain on Cas' leg while it was still healing.
Cas doesn't look convinced, so Dean tries out his next line of reasoning, hoping that it works, because that's as far as he went in planning.
"Come on," Dean says. "It'll get you back in the swing of things, now that your leg's mostly healed."
Cas doesn't need much more convincing until he follows Dean to the room next to the panic room, which has a soft floor so you don't get hurt if you get pushed over. Dean gets out his fake sword while Cas draws his real one, which he always keeps on him, no matter what Dean says.
"Just remember, you're human now. Now more whizzing around to stab me from behind, no super strength. You've got to rely on your skills and wits more now."
"I know that Dean," Cas tells him, frowning.
"You know how to fight as a human – you taught me. Just do that."
They settle into their fighting stances, and Dean narrows his eyes. At the prospect of facing off against Cas, his body is immediately ready to move, dodge out of the way and not get caught in the trap of his superior strength. But Cas doesn't have the strength or the speed anymore, just his skills, which would still be relying on that strength and speed.
Dean lunges forwards, stroking downwards. Cas catches it on his sword but his eyes narrow when he cannot immediately cast it off. They stand still for a second, straining against one another, until Cas tilts his sword and Dean's slides off. Cas tries to sneak a hit in but Dean blocks it easily, flicking his sword around to catch Cas's and disarm him before stepping up to rest his blade against his heart.
Cas looks him in the eyes as Dean slowly lowers the blade. "Bit different now, huh?"
"Yes," Cas replies, after a pause. "A bit."
Dean picks Cas's sword up for him and hands it back.
"Slower this time," Dean suggests, and they go through the movements at half speed. When they're just focusing on technique, it's obvious that Cas has the upper hand. But when the fight speeds up again, Cas can't keep up with the movements, his coordination not as good as it could be.
They fight for another hour, ending when Dean slams Cas up against a wall, pinning him with his body. The angel is panting, and Dean doesn't let their eyes unlock as he closes the distance between their mouths, the passion of the fight changing form. It's a fierce kiss, Cas not giving any ground, Dean pressing closer to him.
"Okay, I was admiring your fighting, but I didn't need to see that."
Dean breaks off from Cas and looks over his shoulder. Sam is standing in the doorway, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Well then you should have told me you were there," Dean replies. He steps back from Cas, who raises an eyebrow at him.
"Sam has been standing there for twenty minutes, Dean. I think that you should have noticed him by then."
Dean shifts his weight from foot to foot. "I was concentrating on you." Cas locks eyes with him, and Dean doesn't look away, trying to tell the angel that he'd rather be back up against the wall with him than talking with Sam.
Sam clears his throat. "Do you have another one of those swords?"
Cas shakes his head. "No. The only blades we have access to are my own and Sariel's. It would be extremely difficult to procure any others."
"Damn," Sam says. "And there's nothing else that can harm an angel?"
"Nothing we can get to easily."
"Of course," Sam sighs. "I'm going to go check if anything's happened yet."
Dean nods, even though he knows that it's useless. Sam glares at him before he walks out the door, and Dean's guess is that his brother doesn't want to see anything else that might happen between himself and Cas. Dean can't help but smirk after Sam. He knows Dean too well.
Dean doesn't waste any time in turning back to Cas, who is still against the wall. Cas welcomes him back, arms wrapping around Dean to bring him in close as Dean nuzzles up under his chin, nipping at the skin there. Cas catches his mouth with his own, licking Dean's lips and Dean brings his hands up, sliding them slowly into Cas's hair as he deepens the kiss.
There's a sharp prick against his neck, and Dean opens his eyes in surprise. Cas is smirking at him.
"Never let your guard down," he warns, taking his sword away from Dean's neck and sliding it up his sleeve.
"I was distracted," Dean murmurs.
"True," Cas says proudly. "I am very distracting."
Dean kisses him again just to shut him up.
Madison purses her lips, looking down the trail. The scent of the other pack isn't in the air, and it's getting late. Thomas is in charge of the other half of her pack on the other side of the trail, ready to get the Alpha's pack in a vice grip and kill them all. She has Elspeth in the shadows, leading a small group who would be in reserve if they were needed, but are really there to help with the clean-up, and anyone who needs immediate medical attention.
She can almost smell the moon. It's nearly here, and her skin is itching with the Change about to come. The wolves with her are jumpy as well, snapping at each other only to apologise a minute later. They all know that there's a fight coming, and that there's a chance that not everyone will come out of this alive.
She's keeping a particular eye on Garth. It's his first full moon, and she had been very hesitant to let him come along on this mission. He isn't sure what he's doing, and he doesn't really know what he's getting into, but the only other option that was worse than having him here would be having him somewhere without the pack that had become his family in the past few weeks. She doesn't want him going feral on his first full moon.
A shiver runs over her skin. The muted conversation behind her ceases, and she can feel their attention shift to the sky.
She takes a deep breath in. The scent of the approaching pack is in the air, and she shakes her head as she feels the first stages of the Change start to overcome her.
"Everyone ready?" She asks, even though it's redundant. The other pack might not have scented them yet, but they will when they pass here, and they would track them down. A fight would be coming. They just had to use their surprise and preparation as an advantage against the Alpha's pack.
She's met with terse nods, and she smiles at them all.
"Good. Then let's get this show on the road, and kick some ass."
Her family smiles back at her.
Dean wakes up with his mouth feeling like something had died in it. He squints at the time, the light of the clock too bright. It's just after eight, and Dean doesn't know when they went to bed last night. Cas is pressed up along his front, one arm over Dean's where his is curled around the angel. Dean moves his face away from Cas's hair, the strands tickling his nose.
He's not quite sure if he and Cas had ended the night by drunkenly making out on top of one of the tables in the Roadhouse or if that's just something that he dreamed, but Cas is snoring away in front of him topless and with one shoe on, so he's going to consider the possibility that it actually happened. Okay. No more drinking from now on. He snorts at the thought, wincing when his head throbs.
He sits up slowly, rubbing at his eyes blearily. He pushes Cas's shirt off him and onto the floor, scowling at his unbuttoned jeans, which were half way down his thighs. Jesus, what happened last night?
He's just glad that someone had the sense to draw the curtains, because his head is hurting from the small amount of light in the room, and he's fairly sure that Cas isn't going to be much better. He stands, not impeded by any sheets because they had been sleeping on top of the covers, and pulls his pants up. Cas lets out a sound and rolls over, arm reaching out into the space where Dean had just been laying. Dean smiles at him, but walks out anyway, squinting so that he doesn't get too much light in his eyes.
Ellen is in behind the bar when Dean comes out of the back room.
"Good morning," she drawls, and Dean hushes her. "You really get that drunk last night?"
"I haven't had much alcohol lately," Dean mumbles. Ellen snorts and goes to switch on the TV in the corner of the room, probably just to spite him, while Dean sits down at the counter. The news comes on, and Dean half pays attention to it, half pays attention to the cereal that Ellen had just put down in front of him. Wincing as the sun suddenly comes through the windows, Dean starts to scoop the cereal up, not complaining for once that it's some weird muesli thing. It doesn't have yoghurt in it, so he can deal with it.
"You feelin' alright?" Ellen asks, a touch of amusement in her voice. Dean decides that it isn't worth the effort to reply, glaring at her instead. Ellen laughs at him, organising the bottles behind the counter, the soft noise that the glass is making still too loud for Dean's sensitive ears.
Dean grabs some pills to help with the pounding headache behind his forehead, and he sits in the kitchen for ten minutes until he feels like he can look around without wanting to throw up.
"What happened last night?" He asks plaintively.
Ellen smirks at him. "You can't remember?"
"A bit," Dean says vaguely.
"So you don't remember mentally scarring your brother by having him discover you and Cas making out on one of my tables?"
"Ugh," Dean groans. "I'm sorry."
"Everyone else had prior warning, so we didn't take as much damage."
"This was after everyone else left, right?"
"Yeah," Ellen says, which reassures him slightly.
"I'm gonna have to apologise to Sam," Dean mumbles to himself.
"Shush," Ellen says.
"I'm not even being loud," Dean complains.
"Dean," Ellen rebukes him, and Dean realises that she's looking at the TV, where a dark haired female news anchor is speaking.
"… been a massive mass mauling just outside McAlester, Oklahoma. It happened in the early hours of this morning, and we're crossing live to our reporter at the site. Mark, how are the police coping with the press and media coverage of the event? How are things progressing in McAlester?"
The screen switches to a blonde man standing in front of the yellow crime scene tape. There are police officers swarming in the background, as well as several people in dark suits. One of them has red hair, but the camera zooms in to the reporter before Dean can really focus on them.
"Zowee, things are hectic down here. Seven teenagers were reported missing this morning, their concerned parents telling the local authorities about the party that they had all attended in this secluded picnic spot just outside of town last night. When police arrived, they found several bodies viciously mauled. While not much more information has been made available to the public, police have warned people in this area to take precautions, and to stay indoors for the next few days, until the animals that have done this have been found. The FBI are here, but why they would be involved in an animal mauling, I don't know. Unless it's not an animal mauling, but something else entirely?" The blonde man waggles his eyebrows.
"We just don't know," the young woman replies. "We'll keep you updated on the situation as it develops. In other news…"
Dean tunes it out, looking at Ellen. She's frowning at the TV while she puts glasses away.
"It was a full moon last night, wasn't it?" Dean asks groggily. Ellen shakes her head slowly.
"It's tonight, but they can change on the day before and after the full moon, can't they?" Dean nods slowly and Ellen sighs. "I'm thinking werewolves. But I saw your gang in the background of that news, so they probably have things under control."
"Yeah," Dean agrees, but worry starts to turn over in his stomach. Could they handle it? He shakes his head, but that makes the room spin for a minute, so he keeps his head still after that. They're competent people. They'll be fine.
His phone rings in his pocket. Scowling at the loud noise, he grabs it, looking at the screen.
Madison
A thrill of anticipation going through him, he answers the call, bringing his phone up to his ear.
"Dean," Madison says, her voice breathless. "Dean, I need your help."
Dean doesn't hesitate before replying. He owes the werewolf for rescuing Cas. It was a debt that he had to repay.
"What's going on?"
"You've probably seen it on the news already," Madison whispers. "We finally caught up to the Alpha's pack. We set traps, we were prepared. I thought that there was no way that it could go wrong."
"But it did," Dean finishes. He sighs, rubbing a hand over his head.
"It killed some of the younger wolves, sure," Madison continues. "But it didn't do anything against the older ones, or the Alpha. We went into open battle, and half of my pack was killed, including my second in command. When I called retreat, more wolves were killed. I only have nine left, now. Out of thirty-one. We're all hiding, but it's only a limited time until they find us."
"Shit," Dean swears lowly. "Look, where are you?"
"Oklahoma. After chasing after us, and us getting away, the Alpha mustn't have been able to control some of her wolves. They went on a killing spree, eating the hearts of those teenagers and not doing anything about the bodies. Dean, if there's going to be any hope of my pack getting out of here alive, it's going to be through killing that pack."
"It sounds like a massive job," Dean replies.
"Bring your brother, your FBI friends, your mate, I don't care. I need help, Dean. I'm cashing in my chips."
"Yeah," Dean says, after a few seconds have passed. "I'll get us all there. Just lay low until I call you again, okay?"
"Okay," Madison says, letting out a breath. "Okay. Just hurry. I don't think that the Alpha's going to wait long before hunting us down."
"I got it. Hang in there." Dean hangs up.
"What was that about?" Ellen asks curiously.
"You up for a werewolf hunt?" Dean asks her. Ellen's eyes narrow.
"If I get to see my daughter, I suppose the trip is worth it," she replies. Dean nods.
"Yeah. We're gonna need all the hands we can have. And that includes the SPN unit."
Ellen nods sharply, and Dean finishes the rest of his breakfast before standing up, planning out everything they would need for the trip.
He slowly opens the door to their room after waking Sam up. Cas is still sleeping, and Dean is loath to wake him. Sitting down on the bed, he extends an arm to gently shake Cas awake. The angel mumbles and rolls over closer to Dean.
"Cas," Dean whispers, knowing that he probably has a hangover as well. "Cas, you need to wake up."
Cas groans and buries his head in the pillow. "Don wanna," he moans. "Everythin hurts."
"I know," Dean says softly. "Have some water."
He waits until Cas moves again, sitting up very slowly and glaring at everything. He takes the glass from Dean and sips it for a few seconds, hardly having any of the water.
"Have some painkillers with it," Dean suggests, holding out two tablets. Cas glares at them as well, taking them and only taking a few minutes to choke them down. "Not too bad for your first time swallowing pills. Madison called. She needs our help. Just wake up while I help organise everything, okay? No need to rush."
Cas nods sleepily. "And have a shower," Dean suggests. He closes the door after he leaves as quietly as he can, not wanting to hurt the angel's ears. There's a quick meeting in the main room of the Roadhouse, where it's decided that Bill will stay behind to look after the restaurant. He doesn't look happy about it, but Ellen reasons that one of them has to stay here, and that nothing is going to stop her from seeing Jo, especially if there's something going on that might have her daughter in danger. Dean finds his sunglasses before venturing outside, the world still too bright for him as he packs the boot of the Impala. Sam will ride with him and Cas, and Ellen has her own truck with her own equipment that she'll bring.
When they're all packed, dressed, and ready to hit the road, Cas still hasn't appeared from the Roadhouse.
"It's his first hangover," Dean reasons with his foster mother and brother. "I'll go check on him."
Ellen just rolls her eyes while Sam huffs slightly. Dean hurries back inside to find Cas snoring in the bed, completely oblivious to the world. The painkillers had probably knocked him out.
Dean frowns at the angel. Even though they'd been working on getting Cas used to using his sword again after his Fall, to go up against werewolves, you really needed guns, and they had hardly done anything in that area. Cas wouldn't like being left behind, but Dean really doesn't think that he's ready to go out in the field yet.
Decision made, he scribbles a note down on a piece of paper and leaves it on the bedside table. He closes the door quietly and goes back outside to where Sam and Ellen are waiting.
"Cas is still down after last night. He's not moving for the next few hours."
"So we just leave him here?" Sam asks, looking concerned.
"We're time poor. He'll be fine," Ellen says, getting into her truck. Dean thinks she looks about as relived as he feels to have Cas out of harm's way. Sam looks skeptical, but gets into the Impala with Dean.
"We're good to go," Dean says, feeling the restlessness inside him start to evaporate as he turns his baby out onto the road. A month after leaving the FBI, and he's more than ready to get out of the rut of doing nothing, more than ready to face the up-coming action.
Dean can't wait for it to start.
Charlie looks over the information in front of her, frowning slightly at the discrepancies.
The mauling's had obviously been done by werewolves. The police hadn't released the fact that all of the teenagers had been missing their hearts, and the tracks around the clearing that they had found before the SPN unit had arrived were obviously from werewolves, if you knew what you were looking for.
Victor and Annie are cleaning their guns and checking their silver bullets. They're pretty sure they know where the pack headed after tearing up those teenagers. The tracks met up with more werewolves, and from there it split into several parts. Some looped back to a forest, where they hadn't followed the tracks because Victor hadn't had enough time to. Some went ahead and others went back to then join up with the original group for no reason that she could figure out.
There was also a place where a group of wolves had waited for some time as humans. There's evidence of a campsite, and a scuffle where the two groups had met. It's almost like there had been two packs…
But there aren't any dead bodies, wolf or human, in the area where this hypothetical fight would have occurred, so Charlie is reluctant to say that that's what happened.
Ash and Jo are out investigating the warehouse that they think the werewolves are holed up in. They need more information before they can make a move, and Charlie wants to get rid of these werewolves as soon as possible, before they can turn anyone else. The memory of what happened to Garth is still too fresh in her mind, and the fact that it happened just after Dean left the FBI with Cas…
She shakes her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts so she could concentrate on the information in front of her. Worry for Dean and Cas surrounds her whenever she thinks about them, and the fact that no one had heard from Sam in nearly a month as well does nothing to reassure her, even though she assumes that they must be together. She understands that her accounts and phones are all monitored, but she would have liked to have gotten something from them, if only to make sure that they're fine.
Charlie sighs. It's getting late – the others should be back soon. She'll wait until they get here to discuss the rest of the information with them and try to figure out their next move.
She stands up and paces around the motel room. It's a double, even though she's not sharing with anyone. She only got it out of habit, and then had shrugged and suggested that everyone should use it as a meeting place so they could organise the hunt.
There's a knock on the door. She frowns. The others shouldn't be here yet. Cautious, she picks up her gun and puts it to the back of the door before she opens it slowly.
Her mouth drops open. "Dean?" She asks, not knowing if she's finally started seeing things. The older man smiles at her and sweeps her into a hug, which Charlie returns happily. "Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in forever!"
It had been over a month, but it had seemed like so much longer. Especially with the loss of Garth, morale in the unit had been low. She puts her gun down when Dean lets go of her, and Charlie sees Sam behind him.
"Sam!" She says happily, and hugs him as well.
"Hey Charlie," Sam greets her. Dean is smiling at her.
"Long time no see," Dean says. Charlie realises that Ellen is behind Sam and she smiles at the other woman.
"Hi."
Ellen nods at her. "Where are the others?" Where is Jo, she basically askes, but Charlie doesn't mind.
"They're out investigating. What are you doing here?"
"We saw the news article about this," Sam says.
"Madison called me in for help," Dean says at nearly the same time. The brothers look at each other for a moment as Charlie narrows her eyes.
"Madison? The werewolf? You're in touch with her?" She tries not to feel left out.
Dean rubs the back of his neck. "There's a lot you missed out on," he says, and Charlie nods.
"Yeah, it sounds like there is. And you're going to tell me all of it," she raises her eyebrows at Dean. Dean flushes slightly and Charlie sees Ellen roll her eyes out of the corner of her eye while Sam just looks uncomfortable. Charlie doesn't care though – she's been needing details about Dean and Castiel for the last few months, and she is going to pry some out of Dean even if it kills her.
There's another knock on the door, and Charlie walks over to open it again. Jo, Victor, Ash and Annie are standing on the other side, and they look as surprised to see Dean, Sam and Ellen there as Charlie was.
Annie pulls out a flask of holy water and splashes Dean in the face with it. Dean blinks it out of his eyes, pulling an aggravated face and then spitting some water out of his mouth.
"We're us, Annie." To prove his point, Dean pulls out a silver knife and cuts the back of his arm and stares at the newcomers as they watch him not burn and flinch in pain.
Jo's face breaks out in a smile and she goes over to hug Ellen. Victor speaks while they're still embracing.
"Why are you here?" He asks.
"Madison called, asking for backup. She fought against the other pack and when they beat her some of the younger members went on a killing spree and mauled those teens. It's the Alpha pack, which is the one that's been causing trouble."
The SPN unit freeze. Dean lowers his eyebrows in confusion at them. "What?" Charlie looks around at Dean, wincing when she realises he doesn't know what had happened. "Where's Garth?" Dean asks them.
"Oh," Jo says quietly. "You don't know."
Charlie sees fear in Dean's stance, even though he doesn't let it show on his face. "What happened?"
Ash lets out a breath and explains. Dean's teeth are gritted the entire time. Charlie can see it from where she's standing.
"So he's a werewolf now," he says flatly, when Ash is finished.
"And running with Madison. If she's here, then we might be able to see Garth."
Dean shakes his head and lets out a deep breath. "What have you got?" Dean asks, and Charlie can almost feel him trying to change the subject.
"We think the werewolves are holed up here," Jo says, taking the chance Dean is giving her and pointing to a block on the map on the table. "That's where we tracked them to." Charlie nods.
"What other information do you have?" Ellen asks her daughter.
"Not much," Jo admits. "It took us a while to get out here, and then we didn't want to be out after dark with the moon still full enough for them to turn and us without back up.
"How about I call Madison?" Dean asks. "I don't know if she'll pick up, but if she does we'll have a whole lot more information."
Charlie nods, and so does everyone else. Dean takes his phone out and mutters something when he sees the time. "I hadn't realised how late it had gotten. I'd better call Cas first. I promised."
He stands and walks over to the corner of the room, so he can hear his calls better away from the group of people gathered around the table.
He presses a few buttons and then brings the phone up to his ear. There's a pause, and then he starts talking. He shifts, and Charlie watches Dean's back, and she can see the tautness of his muscles and how he stands uneasily. She frowns, wondering what he could be talking about with Cas to make him have that reaction.
Ellen keeps pointing at places where they could make their approach, and Victor keeps rebutting her arguments. Annie is looking on, while Charlie had tuned them out in favour of watching Dean and his reactions to whatever Castiel is saying. He clearly isn't happy with it, but if Charlie was Cas, and she got dumped back at base while everyone else went off to fight, she'd be pretty pissed too. She didn't blame Cas for chewing Dean out for it.
Dean talks for another minute and then hangs up. He sighs and looks up at the ceiling before pressing a few more buttons and holding up the phone again. Madison obviously picks up, because Dean talks for five minutes with her before coming back to the table. Ellen and Victor have decided on an entry, and are now swapping stories of past battles against werewolves.
"Bad news," Dean sighs as he sits down. "They've moved. They aren't in this building anymore."
Everyone grumbles a bit, but Dean pulls out a book of maps of Oklahoma, and quickly finds where he's looking for. "Madison knows that the Alpha's pack is gunning for her, so she's holed up in a place where she's going to make her last stand." Dean points to a valley that terminates, the cliffs too tall and too sheer for even werewolves to jump down. "She's here, and the Alpha's pack is going to have to come up the valley to her. It's a fight to the death, and the other pack are already approaching, according to Madison. We need to get there tomorrow, and that's when she thinks they'll come in and attack. Garth is still alive," he says, and everyone lets out a sigh of relief.
"So there's not much strategy involved for that," Annie says, scowling at the map.
"No," Dean says. "There isn't. But I want to put snipers on the top of the cliffs who can shoot the werewolves before they even get to us." He looks at Annie, and she scowls at him, switching from the map.
"What?"
"You're the best gunner here. I need you on the cliff."
Annie rubs the back of her neck but doesn't put up a defence. Charlie knows that she's the best they've got, and Annie knows it as well.
"I don't like it," she mumbles, but Charlie can tell that she's going to do it.
"Victor, I want you up there as well. You're pretty good with a rifle, and we're going to need to cut down as many of the wolves as we can. There's a clearing at the end of the valley, and that's where we're going to be making out stand. You can shoot anything easily from there."
Victor sighs but he agrees as well.
"Is there anything else to organise?" Dean asks. No one says anything, and he nods. "Okay, we all need a good night's sleep, so we should get to that, yeah?"
Everyone stands, and Charlie watches them leave. Dean stays, and she can only assume that he wants to share a room like they usually do. She watches him relax and then slouch as everyone leaves.
"What did Cas say?" She asks him after he locks the door.
"Sometimes I wish you weren't so perceptive," he says quietly. "He's unhappy that he got left behind."
"I'd be pissed as well," Charlie offers.
"I'm just worried about him," Dean says softly. He sighs.
"He's his own person, Dean. He can make his own mistakes."
Dean sighs and sits down on his bed to take his shoes off. "I want to protect him."
"Do you think he wants protecting though?" Charlie asks him. He doesn't have to say anything for her to see his answer. "Dean, you can't smother him."
"I know," Dean says. He strips his jeans off and climbs in under the covers. "Get some rest Charlie. We'll need it for tomorrow."
Charlie purses her mouth at the obvious dismissal, but she gets ready to get some sleep as well, knowing that Dean is right, even if he's being annoying right now.
Castiel doesn't want to wake up. His head is pounding, not as bad as before Dean had given him the painkillers, but still pounding. He's not sure if he has a tongue anymore, and his stomach is rolling around unhappily.
He cracks one eye open. He looks around for a few seconds, decides that it's too bright, and closes it again. A faint memory of Dean telling him to shower floats up into his head, and he sighs.
He goes to push back the covers before realising that they are not there. Disconcerted, he sits up slowly, squinting down at himself. He's wearing no shirt and one shoe, which he leans down to take off.
When he opens the door to their room, the rest of the building is quiet. He leans back inside to check the time, which says that it's just after eleven. The lunch staff should be here, but he can't hear their customary clatter.
Shrugging it off as unimportant, he slowly walks down to the bathroom and showers, taking the time to try and scrub off anything still on him while trying to ignore his head and the noise of the water, which he had decided about three seconds into the shower was too loud.
He finds some clean clothes in his drawer, and is about to leave to search for anyone when he sees the note on his bedside table.
Frowning, he picks it up and unfolds it, seeing Dean's messy script fill the page.
Cas,
I couldn't wake you up, and I think the pills knocked you out. We can't wait for you because Madison needs help, and because I want you safe but I will call later when you're awake. Don't take anything at all else unless Bill gives it to you – he knows more about how to take medicine than you do. I hope you're feeling better later.
Dean
Castiel reads the note twice, jaw tight, before putting it back on the table and walks out to the main room.
Bill is standing behind the bar, wiping up glasses and putting them back in their proper place. There's no one else around, and Castiel realises that it's Saturday. The bar doesn't open until five on Saturday, which is why they had allowed themselves to get drunk last night.
Bill looks up when he walks in. "Cas," he greets him, and Castiel thinks that he doesn't look happy to be left behind either.
"When did they leave?" He asks.
Bill shrugs, leaning over to pick up another glass. "About three hours ago. They'll be out of the state by now."
Cas feels his mouth purse, and sees Bill's knowing look. He picks up a mop and starts to clean the floor, concentrating on that so that he does not have to think about Dean leaving him behind.
He cleans the entire main room and then moves onto the back room, dusting and mopping and wiping surfaces and putting away everything he could. Bill would go through the room he was working on every twenty minutes, just to check on him, but Castiel never acknowledged him. The simple tasks calmed him down, and he can let his mind blank while he does it.
He puts all of his supplies away just after four. He checks his phone, but no calls have come through, and he would have heard them if they had. He's organising some of the food in the pantry when Bill comes into the kitchen.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" He asks. Castiel freezes for a second. He has not, and now that Bill has said something about it, he can feel his stomach chewing at nothing. Without the others to eat with, he had completely forgotten about it.
"No," he admits.
"I thought so," Bill says. Castiel shuts the cupboard and watches as the man puts together a few sandwiches, Bill's with pickles and ham, and Castiel's with peanut butter. Castiel takes his with a grave thank you, and Bill smiles at him. "Thanks for cleaning up everything today."
Castiel shrugs. "It was no trouble."
"Still. Ellen and the boys hate cleaning, so I'm the one who usually has to do it all."
Castiel smiles for a second at him. They finish their food, and Bill goes into the longue room. Castiel heads into the small gym. He tapes up his knuckles and strips his shirt and shoes off, starting at the punching bag. The exercise clears his mind, and he focuses on the form of his punches. He stops when he's dripping sweat and showers, the silence coming from his phone beginning to grate on his nerves. Dean had said he would call.
He's taken up the gun Dean had given him – From my own personal collection. She's a beauty, and if you take care of her, she'll take care of you – and had been shooting for half an hour when he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket.
He takes his earmuffs off and fumbles for his phone, clicking the green button and bringing it up to his ear.
"Hello Dean," he says.
"Hey Cas," Dean replies. "How you doing?"
"Fine," Castiel says. "Practising my shooting."
"Good, good," Dean says.
"You arrived on time?" Castiel asks him.
"Yeah. We're planning now."
Castiel sets down his gun, takes a breath and says nothing. Hurt and anger are rolling around in his chest, and he is not sure how to deal with the emotions. He settles for glaring at the bench in front of him.
"You alright?" Dean says, when it becomes obvious that Castiel is not going to say anything.
"Yes," Castiel replies. "Dean," he starts, the emotions in his chest demanding to be let out. Dean must hear something in his voice, because when he replies his voice is guarded.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you leave without me?" Castiel bites out. He is still glaring at the bench, even though it does nothing but make him feel slightly better.
There's a pause. Castiel tries to burn a hole through the counter in front of him. It would have been easy in the past, but he no longer possesses the ability to do so.
"Cas," Dean says, voice crackling over the phone. "I didn't want to take you when you were passed out."
"You could have carried me, and I could have slept in the back of the Impala," Castiel growls. "This is not about that. Why didn't you take me?"
There is a long silence, and Castiel shifts his weight between his feet. He misses Dean's eyes and glimmer of his soul that Castiel can still see in them, the way the hunter would move unconsciously and how Castiel could tell what he is thinking by the way he stood. This buzzing silence told him nothing of what Dean is thinking.
"I was worried about you."
"You were worried that I could not care for myself without you there," Castiel says flatly.
"Cas, we'll be back in a few days. We'll talk about it then," Dean says, his voice strained. Castiel sets his jaw.
"I wish to speak with you about this now."
"Cas, we're planning what we have to do so we don't get ripped apart by werewolves," Dean tells him.
"So you cannot spare a few minutes to talk to me about this? Am I not that important?" Castiel questions, voice still emotionless.
"No, of course not Cas. You're important to me. But we'll talk later, okay?"
Castiel let his silence tell Dean what he is thinking before he replies. "Very well."
"Thanks," Dean replies. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay," Castiel says, and the beeping of a disconnected line rings in his ear.
Castiel puts the phone in his pocket and picks up the gun.
The next shot goes right through the middle of the target.
A buzzing starts up in his ears, and he shakes his head before it peaks and Enochian blares through his skull, his human body rejecting the angelic wavelength that he could still pick up. The message is distorted and painful, but he only needs a few words to figure out what the message is. Castiel swallows.
The demons have made their next move. Now it is Heaven's turn.
The place where they would meet with Madison smells terrible. The rot of garbage and pollution is mixed with the cloying scent of new and old blood. There are rusted pipes and broken glass that make walking hazardous, and Dean is sure that if he just brushes up against anything he's going to get some sort of infection. Charlie looks about as happy as him to be here, and since she had volunteered to come with him, she could complain all she wanted.
"Dean, this place smells worse than shit."
"I know," Dean grimaces. "But this is where Madison said. I checked."
"Why on earth does she want to meet in such a gross place?" Charlie says, gingerly making her way around some sort of twisted looking metal device with some sort of mould on it that Dean really doesn't want to think about.
"I'm sure she'll explain everything," Dean tells her. "We just have to reach the right spot."
"Right," Charlie grumbles. They pick their way through the treacherous land, Dean trying not to breathe too deeply. The twisted oak that marks the meeting point is getting closer, and Dean can see a figure leaning up against it. As they get closer, he can pick out the features of Madison against the dark bark.
"Hey," Dean calls out. Madison nods at them.
"Thanks for coming Dean," she says, her voice rough. Now that he's closer, Dean can see that she looks terrible; there are dark circles under her eyes and her eyes are red, like she's been crying, or trying not to cry. Her hair is messy and her hands are dirty, and there's dried bloodstains on her jeans.
"You picked up Cas," Dean tells her. Charlie nods. Dean had filled her in on what had happened in the car, although he had tried to avoid the small details of his and Cas' relationship, no matter how hard she pried. It just seemed like something that should stay between them, and them only. "I owe you, Madison."
Madison nods sharply. "Tell us what happened," Charlie asks.
Madison takes a deep breath in. "The Alpha is much more powerful than I had thought. It's going to take more than a pack to bring her down. We know she's coming for us, and we just need you for back up. We're going to need your help to win."
"You have it," Dean agrees. "It's our job, and if the Alpha has really been causing as much trouble as you've told us, then she needs to be stopped."
Madison lets out a breath. "She does need to be stopped. Where's the rest of your team?"
"At our motel, planning."
"You should call them. It's tonight or never, and it's going to take a while to get out to where the pack is."
Dean purses his lips. "Okay. Give us a place, and we'll get there."
Madison gives him a piece of paper. "There's an address on that. Meet me there by five tonight." She ducks around the tree, and when Dean leans around it, there's no movement on the other side.
"Show off," he mutters. "Come on Charlie, we've got to get this back to the others."
Charlie sighs and starts heading back to the Impala. Dean follows her, making sure not to touch anything on the way out. When they get out of the fenced piece of land, Charlie smiles at him.
"Well, at least that's over."
"Yeah," Dean says. He gets into the Impala and turns the key in the ignition before pulling out onto the road.
Charlie is quiet for a minute before she starts talking.
"So are you going to tell me the real details about you and Cas?" She asks, probably looking at him with a good copy of Sam's puppy eyes. Dean keeps his eyes on the road so he won't have to look at them.
"I told you what happened Charlie," Dean grumbles. "And you're not getting anything else."
"Aw, please? Just a few? Don't expect me to believe that you haven't slept with him yet, Dean Winchester, because that is a pile of bullshit."
"It's none of your business," Dean mutters.
"Uh, it kind of is. I mean, I was shipping you two like, last year."
"Charlie!" Dean barks, eyebrows lowered. He really doesn't want to think about what Charlie does in her spare time that involves him and Cas.
"Is he a good kisser? That's not even information that's all that important, just give me that."
Dean makes the mistake of looking over at Charlie. She's got the full on pleading eyes going, and he yanks his gaze back to the road, but it's too late. He's seen it.
"Sometimes you are like the most annoying little sister," Dean says mournfully. "You pull those eyes almost as well as Sam."
"Do I?" She sounds pleased. "I've been practising. But you can't dodge my question Dean," she says. "Is he a good kisser, yes or no?"
"Yes," Dean says, after a long silence. "Yes he is."
Charlie squeals. "I knew it," she gushes. "Those lips…"
Dean looks at her, eyebrows raised. She has a faraway look in her eyes that makes him feel a little uncomfortable. "Uh, who's dating him exactly?"
"You two are such a cute couple, I can tell. Even if I've only seen you both when you were in the denial stage…"
"You focus on the strangest things Charlie," Dean tells her. "Seriously."
Charlie shrugs. They drive in silence for a while until she speaks again.
"So have you two… you know," she says, and Dean can almost imagine her eyebrows waving. He nearly swerves off the road in response.
"What the hell Charlie?" He exclaims. "You don't just ask people that!"
"Well, we've known each other for a while," she says. "So have you?"
Dean can feel his cheeks heating. "I think that I don't want to talk about this."
She sighs. "Who else do you get to talk about Cas with? I can tell that you're missing him."
Dean yanks his hand away from the scar on his shoulder, which he had automatically been touching. "I'll see him in a few days," he says gruffly.
There's a pause, but Dean can tell that Charlie has something else to add. "What if you don't make it out tomorrow?" She asks quietly. Dean whips his head around to stare at her and she shrugs slightly. "I'm just saying. This is something much more dangerous than what you normally do. What if you don't see him in a few days? What if the last thing you told him was that you'd talk later? How would he feel about that?"
"What is this, an ambush?" Dean asks, unease rolling around in his chest.
"I just think that Cas deserved better than you leaving him behind," she says. "And I think you need to accept that."
Dean grits his teeth and looks back at the road. "We'll work it out."
"But what if you can't?" Charlie asks softly. "You should call him before we go into the fight. Sort things out now."
Dean doesn't say anything, and Charlie sighs softly. They don't say anything for the rest of the drive, and Dean walks away from her when they get back to the motel. He briefs everyone else with his mind elsewhere, quietly trying to turn over what Charlie had said. He supervises everyone getting their gear ready and piling into their cars with a minimum amount of fuss, and he's still out of it when they arrive at the meeting point just before four o'clock. This is the last place that he'll have reception before heading out into the forest, and he stares at his phone while everyone else gets out of their cars and gathers with Madison. The female werewolf is probably going over everything again, but Dean's doesn't need to hear it.
He swallows and leaves the phone where it is, shutting the door to the Impala, the slam making a echoing sound, as if he had just closed off one path and is about to start another.
The others welcome him into the group, and he listens to Madison talk, nodding as she explains each point in her plan. Dean thinks it's sound, and no one else argues against it, so they do a final check to make sure that they had all they needed before starting the walk through the forest.
Annie and Victor split off from them as the ground begins to slope, going up to the top of the canyon. The rest of the hunters follow Madison, trying to be as quiet as they can so they don't alert the werewolves they are approaching.
When they get to the place where Madison said that most of the fighting would occur at, it's full dark. The moon hasn't risen yet, but Dean doesn't think there's long until it does. There's a clearing up ahead where the female alpha thinks most of the fighting would go down, and the hunters hunker down while she goes back to her wolves, the few that are remaining.
"How are we going to be able to tell them apart?" Ash asks.
"Madison will probably have them all drink dye that will come through in their fur. So don't shoot any colourful werewolves," Dean whispers back.
Ash raises his eyebrows.
A single, lonely howl echoes out from behind them. "I guess that's the signal," Dean says. "Everyone ready?"
There's the muttered clicking of people checking their guns. Dean touches the angel blade in his jacket to reassure himself that it's there. Blades aren't the best idea when the werewolves have claws and teeth that can rip you apart at a close range, but it's a good back up if your gun gets knocked away and there's a werewolf on top of you.
A clamour of sound from in front of them starts up, and Dean hopes that Victor and Annie are in position. Dean takes a deep breath in and smiles at Charlie, who looks nervous. And then they all stand up, and start making their way forwards.
They're overtaken by what's left of Madison's pack, and they hover at the edge of the clearing for a few minutes while the werewolves fight, picking the non-coloured wolves off with their guns.
That's until a wolf comes out of nowhere and jumps Jo. Ellen lets out a snarl that could challenge any of the wolves in the clearing in front of them, and from then on all hell breaks loose. There are werewolves everywhere, and Dean fights to keep them off his team and off himself.
It's not an easy fight. Dean feels as if there are two more werewolves coming at him before he's finished the one that he's fighting. He thinks he fights alongside Madison for a while, but he isn't sure if the vibrant green wolf is really the alpha or if he just wants it to be.
There's a pause for a few seconds. Dean takes a deep breath and tries to calm his racing heart, he looks around, searching for his next target, and sees the Alpha.
The wolf is standing apart from them all, looking at them all with disdain in its eyes. It's the biggest and most healthy looking werewolf, and Dean knows that it's the Alpha without anyone needing to tell him.
The sounds around him stop. Dean looks around to see that the non-coloured werewolves are mostly dead, the coloured wolves tearing at them or leaving them to stalk the few that are remaining around the Alpha on the small hill.
The Alpha growls, but Dean just shoots at it. It dodges to the side and narrowly misses a bullet from above from Annie or Victor. The green wolf who is probably Madison snarls and takes a few steps forward, and the Alpha takes a step back. Dean shoots again, as well as the rest of his team, and the Alpha yelps. The few wolves around it mill in disarray, obviously wanting to fight but not wanting to disobey their leader.
The Alpha yips and they run off into the forest. Dean shoots one more down before they reach the trees, but after that they're gone. Madison's pack follows, but none of the humans try to. It would be suicide to go into the forest after the wolves.
Dean goes along his team, making sure that none of them are seriously hurt. Jo has a claw wound in her leg, and she's favouring it heavily, but Ellen is taking care of it, so Jo should be okay. Charlie has a few scrapes, but other than that they seem miraculously unharmed. Annie and Victor come down to the clearing and they start gathering the bodies of the werewolves, who are now dead in their human form, getting them ready to burn.
It's nearly sunrise by the time Madison's pack gets back. Garth goes straight to Ash and starts talking with him lowly. Annie and Victor go over there as well, but Dean sees Madison coming over to him, so he resigns himself to talking with her instead of greeting Garth. The alpha has picked up a shirt and loose pants somewhere, but there aren't any shoes on her feet.
"Hey. Everything go alright?"
"Some of them got away. They made it to some cars, and there's no way we can track them that way while we're human. That Alpha, she knew that the moon was going down, and she organised it like that." She bares her teeth, but seems to accept that there's nothing she can do about the situation.
Dean nods. "Bummer. You'll deal with it."
She sighs. "I owe you Dean," Madison says, obviously not liking it, but having to say it anyway. "The sooner you clear that debt with me, the happier I'll be. So the next time you need a helping paw, call me, so we can be even."
Dean looks over her tired looking pack. "Yeah," he finally says. "I get that. Are you going to keep tracking the Alpha? She did get away, even though we managed to kill most of her wolves."
Madison sighs. "I think so. We might stay here for a while. Lick our wounds, recruit any wolves that come along needing a home. But I'm not getting that bitch get away with killing my family." Madison bares her teeth for a second, and Dean fights the urge to take a step back. "So we'll track them, but we won't engage again."
"Okay." Dean hesitates, but then continues. "There's a fight coming up. I think that we're going to need all of the back-up we can get."
"Yeah?" Madison asks, interested. "That would be a good way to get even."
Dean nods. "I thought so. It's getting closer every day," he says.
Madison bites her lip. "Okay. Call me when this fight is about to happen."
Dean nods, and Madison turns, heading back to her pack. They all gather around her before following her, disappearing into the woods. Garth waits for a second at the edge of the woods, before waving to them and then following his new family into the darkness. Dean sighs and doesn't head back to Sam and Charlie, helping Victor and Annie find wood for the fire instead. By the time they have enough fuel to burn all of the bodies, the sky is lightening and the sun is about to rise. They start the fire and the smoke is hidden by the sunrise. They stay until they know that the fire will consume all of the evidence, so that nothing is left behind, and then slowly make their way back to where they had left their vehicles. It's a long walk, made slower by Jo's limp.
The trees thin, and Dean feels his shoulders loosen. Charlie is leading the party, and she freezes, hand going to the gun at her side. Dean immediately moves in front of her, ready to confront whatever is causing her worry.
He halts in disbelief for a second at the sight before him. "It's okay," he reassures Charlie, who probably hasn't realised who it is in the low light.
Anna is sprawled out on the hood of the Impala, her read hair forming a halo around her head. Her eyes are closed, and Dean doesn't think that she's breathing, but he can't see any visible wounds or blood, so he's going to say that she's alright. That's until he realises that her shirt is meant to be white, not red.
"Anna?" He yells, making his way over to her. She moves slightly at the sound, and he lets out a breath, relieved that she isn't dead.
Dean doesn't touch her, merely standing by her side and trying to assess the damage that he can see. "Anna?" He asks again, keeping his voice soft. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," she says, her face twisting in pain. "I hear you. Is Castiel here?"
Dean hesitates. "No, he isn't here."
Anna looks panicked for a second. "I have to tell him something."
"Hey, it's okay, you can tell me," Dean replies, frantically motioning for Sam to get the bigger first aid kit out of the Impala's boot. His brother quickly moves towards it. "Or better yet, you can tell him yourself. We're headed back to where he is right now. It can wait until you're safe."
"No, it cannot," Anna replies, voice rough. She coughs, grimacing, before continuing. "I was imprisoned, and I heard the announcement. Heaven knows where Raziel's Sword fell."
Dean feels a shock. He wonders for a moment if Cas heard the message before focusing on the angel in front of him.
Anna coughs again, and blood splatters onto the hood of the Impala. Dean shifts his weight from foot to foot, not knowing what to do. Jo comes up and slips her hand into the angel's, giving her support.
"Where?" Annie asks, intent on the answer.
"It is not near here. The state of Idaho," she says, before closing her eyes.
"Anna!" Jo exclaims. "Anna, please."
"The town of Soda Springs," she whispers. "There's an island in the reserve near there. That is where the Sword fell."
Dean feels his stomach drop. He knows where Soda Springs is, and having the exact knowledge of where the Sword is, this thing that's taken over his life for the last few years, ever since Alastair kidnapped him and turned his life upside down.
"We've got to get her somewhere safe where we can take care of her," Sam says, worry written all over his face.
"Yeah," Dean says. "We're going back to the Roadhouse, but everyone else, you go back to Phoenix. I'm going to need your help, but not yet, and we don't want the FBI starting a real hunt for all of us. It's easier for me to hide by myself rather than everyone having to hide, okay? I'll call when it's time, but before that, just act normally."
No one looks happy, but Dean can see that they all understand why he's doing this. There are slow nods around the circle of gathered people, and everyone moves back to their cars, more than ready to get to a place of safety. Charlie stays though.
"Charlie, don't," Dean warns already knowing what she's going to say.
She sets her jaw stubbornly. "I'm coming with you."
Dean sighs. He would argue, but Anna needs help now, and he can see Jo getting into Ellen's car. "Fine," he says, and Charlie smiles at him.
Dean looks down at Anna, who doesn't move, and Dean exchanges a look with Sam over her.
"You get in the back, and I'll pass her to you, then you look after while I drive, yeah?"
Sam nods and slides inside the car. Dean gently picks up Anna and passes her to his brother, who handles her carefully.
Charlie is already sitting in the passenger seat, looking anxiously at Anna and Sam. Dean turns the key, and the engine hums to life. He follows the other cars that are going down the bumpy track, trying to avoid the worst of the potholes so that Anna isn't bounced around too much. She still makes small, hurt sounds though, and Dean grits his teeth so that he won't respond to them. Sam is patching her up, at least until they get somewhere that's more stable. It'll have to do for now.
They have a place, a definite place. Dean takes a deep breath and tries to shut down his thoughts and feelings. He can feel everything looming in the distance, coming closer and closer and closer, like the dust storms that overtake Phoenix sometimes, looming and towering over everything that Dean holds dear.
He shivers, and keeps on driving, heading towards the dust cloud.