Dean blinked as he looked down at the page. He hadn't even realized that he had been writing.
Sam got injured because I wouldn't listen.
It wasn't much, but it was still more than he should know because Sam wasn't injured, at least not here. So it must be something that happened in the other place. The only thing that he and Sam might have disagreed on was a hunt. The question was what hunt.
Delores wandered into the kitchen and caught sight of Dean. "Looks like you've made some progress."
"I think I just made more questions for myself." Dean answered.
"That's progress." Delores said grabbing Dean's coffee cup and refilling it while pouring a cup for herself. She sat Dean's cup in front of him and then took a seat. "So would you like a sounding board? Perhaps if we mull over this together we may figure it out?"
"I know that in that other place, Sam is hurt. But Cas said he's doing better. Gabriel had said that he was keeping Sam alive when we summoned him."
"I would think that knowing your brother is doing better would be good news to you." Delores said taking a sip of her coffee.
"It is but I don't think he's out of the woods yet. I called Cas again and Sam never made it to that refugee camp I saw." Dean scrubbed his hand across his face. "Cas told me that Sam's death is one of the events that leads up to the end of the world. I think I have to keep him from getting hurt in the first place."
"I figured this place is where you'd stash a kid you didn't want found." Sam said looking around the motel.
"Yeah, it's the kind of place where they don't ask questions." Garth agreed. "It's also the last motel in this one horse town."
"I know. The only other thing I can think of is that Dagon managed to get a house. There's no way we can search every house in town." Sam sighed.
"Maybe the kid isn't here." Garth said. "Maybe Dagon just brought him here to feed."
"Dagon has cleaned up behind him every other time but this scene looked like it was supposed to. The body wasn't mutilated and there was plenty of blood so she was killed where she was found. It doesn't make sense that Dagon wouldn't have cleaned up this scene too."
Sam reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hit speed dial and called Dean. When the call went to voicemail, Sam left a message."Dean we've looked all over the place. No signs of Jacob anywhere. We're heading back."
Sam and Garth got in the car never realizing that the trunk was not completely closed. Curled up on the false bottom of the trunk of the Impala was a young Kitsune. He had seen Sam but didn't recognize the man with him. It wasn't Dean but it was probably another hunter and Jacob didn't trust hunters.
Jacob would wait until he could get Sam alone and then tell him about the Demon.
Dean had finally taken Delores advise to 'sleep on it' and take a break from the thinking. He stretched out on the bed, closed his eyes and drifted off only to find himself in a fancy railroad car like they had in the 1800's. He was seated in a comfortable chair with a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. Seated across from in another chair dressed like a wild west gambler was...Gabriel.
"Hey bucko." Gabriel raised his own gloss in a toast. "Looks like you managed to catch the right train for once."
"Gabriel, what?" Dean started. "I thought you were locked in the cage with Michael and Lucifer?"
"Oh I am. And for the moment they are actually getting along for the first time in eons." Gabriel said taking a sip of the amber liquid.
"Well if you're there how can you be...here?" Dean asked.
"Hello, Archangel. Besides I am the messenger. Do you think that I took the time to personally go to everyone I ever delivered a message to? I'd still have giving Moses those commandments you guys treat like suggestions on my to do list if that was the case." Gabriel said. "You can call this astral projection if you really need to define it. My vessel and my form are locked in the cage with Abbott and Costello, but my thoughts are here, in your dream."
"Okay so why are you here in my dream?" Dean asked.
"Just checking in to see how things are going." Gabriel said. When Dean gave him a skeptical look Gabriel snorted. "Okay I came to make sure you don't screw things up when you're this close to getting it right. Castiel is doing what he can but he's too afraid of pissing off Dad to tell you what you need to know."
"And you aren't?" Dean snarked.
"Let's just say that Castiel like Michael always tries to give Dad what he thinks Dad wants." Gabriel said. "Luci and I tend to try to give Dad what he needs. Nice sword by the way." Gabriel pointed at Michael's sword which was now laying across Dean's lap.
"Yeah, thanks, found it in a storage unit. I guess you wouldn't know anything about that." Dean said.
"Who do you think came up with the idea of giving you Michael's sword in the first place. Dad wasn't too happy at first, then he realized that you needed it, just like Sam needed Luci's."
"Why all the help? You normally screw around with me and Sammy." Dean asked.
"Look Dean, I wasn't kidding when I said I liked you. You and Sammy are like Jokers in the cosmic deck of playing cards. Toss the two of you into something and it's pure chaos." Gabriel said. "Besides right now down in the cage, it's a general consensus. Do you know how long it's been since we've all agreed on something? And we all agree that Dagon has to die. Unless you want the Leviathan released again."
Gabriel suddenly got a far away look on his face. "Time to go. Daddy's coming to check on us." Gabriel sat down his drink and stood up. "Oh one more thing, when Sam gets back check the trunk. You'll find a couple of gifts and a surprise. Just try not to have a typical Dean Winchester reaction for once."
Dean sat up in the bed as he heard the rumble of the Impala's engine approaching. He hurried downstairs and out the front door waiting for Sam to cut the engine.
"Keys." Dean held out his hand as Sam and Garth got out of the car. Hurrying around to the trunk he realized that it wasn't completely closed. He looked at Sam and motioned to the trunk. Realizing what Dean wanted he pulled out his gun aiming it at the back of the vehicle. Dean pulled out his gun and reached out with his left hand to nudge it open.
"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled as Jacob blinked at the bright sunlight.
Dagon looked at the open window. The boy was gone. The fact that he had gone out the bathroom window let Dagon know that Jacob was not just going out to get out of the room, but trying to escape for some reason. He must have somehow overheard Dagon talking to the other fallen.
There were only two possibilities. The kid was simply trying to get away from Dagon or and this was the one that was more probable, the kid was going to try to warn the Winchesters. Or rather try to warn Sam Winchester.
Dagon had accepted that the kid had caused a change in his plans forcing Dagon to deal with the Winchesters sooner than he wanted to. But this meant that he had to deal with them now. Dagon had planned to find Gabriel first, open the cage and let Lucifer out. Dagon was persuasive, he was sure that he could get Lucifer to agreed to help him, after all from what he had learned so far Lucifer had no great love of these humans.
If Dagon wanted to succeed he needed Lucifer's help. To get Lucifer's help he needed Gabriel. He turned to the fallen standing quietly behind him. "What progress on finding my brother?"
"Gabriel is crafty. Heaven with all the angels couldn't find him in all these centuries. There are only a handful of us in comparison. We are searching." The fallen answered.
"Take half of those searching for Gabriel and have them search for the boy. We must find him before he speaks to the Winchesters."