Chapter Nineteen
Dean went to bed, but he couldn't sleep. When he finally did, he awoke from a dream, thinking that he heard some sort of familiar screeching noise. But when he was awake, there was no sound of it.
He tossed and turned for the rest of the night.
...
Dean woke up sad. Maybe it was because he had silently cried himself to sleep, or maybe because he felt so alone.
He wondered what would happen if he just laid there and never got up.
But part of him, a distant, small part, whispered, You have Cas. And he'll be here as soon as he can.
He had to keep fighting. For Kevin. For Sam.
For himself.
...
Dean made coffee. He put his head in his hands, and took a deep breath. He grabbed his cup of coffee and made his way to the main room.
He dropped his cup. It hit the floor and shattered to pieces, as it was ceramic and cracked easily.
Underneath the staircase, was a big, glowing blue box.
Rissa sat at one of the tables, reading a book with her feet propped up on the table.
"Hello, Dean," she said. She marked her spot, closed her book, and put it gently to the side. She got up from her chair and made her way to Dean's side. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry."
Dean stayed there, his hands to the side, almost numb from the sadness. It's odd. He's probably been through worse, but all of these things piled up. And it was getting to him.
Slowly, he raised his arms and wrapped the around her tiny body to embrace her.
She released him from the hug, looked straight in his eyes, and gave a sad smile. "You're not alone. You've never been alone. I've been with you. Always."
And for the first time in a long time, Dean Winchester smiled.