Dean gasped as soon as he hit the river, pulling in a breath that was half water. He sputtered for a moment before he was yanked under, hitting the rocks hard, bouncing over a particularly large boulder before scraping along the bottom.
He tried to right himself, hoping the depth of the water meant he was near the bank. It felt like an eternity until he finally managed to force his head fully above the raging current, getting a glimpse of his surroundings in the meager light of a half moon. The looming shadow in front of him became his target.
Finally Dean managed to barely crawl onto the jagged shore, choking coughs shaking his shoulders. He struggled to gasp a few breaths, just barely catching another cough not far off. "Cas?" He raised his voice, ignoring the slight crack as he lapsed again into hacking.
"I'm here."
"Are you okay?"
"I am unhurt." Cas took another shuddering breath, disappointed to find it necessary. "But this time I can feel the cold."
"Yeah, you and me both." Dean was at this point violently shaking. "We have to get out of these clothes."
"I have this-" Cas said, shifting on the rocks to sit up, pulling Dean's duffel bag up to show Dean.
Dean closed his eyes with relief. "You managed to hold onto it." He held out his hand and Cas shrugged out of it.
"Are those clothes dry?" Cas asked, shuddering as the cold air rushed into the space the bag had been.
"Hopefully at least a little." The bag has done him solid through many a rainstorm, but he had a feeling it wasn't meant to withstand rapids. "Off the rocks." He said, pulling himself half upright, balancing himself on the uneven ground. He led them off towards a small clearing in a cluster of pine trees. He swung the bag onto the ground, grunting against a searing pain, suddenly acutely aware of the only partially healed burns running from his mid chest to his back.
Dean half fell backwards against the trunk of one, hissing as he did so. His flesh was knitting itself back together, but far slower than he'd like.
Cas rushed forward, kneeling next to the bag and digging into it.
Dean steadied himself against a crushing wave of vertigo, his vision tunneling for a moment before he breathed through it. He coughed again, watching Cas start to pull out clothing that was at least less wet than soaked. "I never unpacked it."
"What?"
"There is a first aid kit." Dean said. "Red case, bottom of the bag." He let his shoulders sag. "Get out of those clothes, quick." Dean said, beginning to fumble with his belt.
Cas shrugged out of his coat, letting it drop before he began to peel back layer after layer of fabric that was stuck tight to his body.
Dean felt another crack of pain that left his head ringing. He swallowed, taking a shaky breath. "I need your help." He gasped.
Cas rushed over, quickly helping guide Dean's jacket and outer shirt off his shoulders. He hesitated, fingers wrapping around the hem of his tee.
"Yeah, I know it's gonna suck." Dean said, tensing in preparation. "Go fast."
Cas didn't hesitate, pulling it up, trying to work with the half height Dean managed to lift his arm, ignoring the shouted profanity.
Dean fully blacked out for a second, managing at the last second to avoid pitching face first into the ground. As soon as he steadied himself he reached down, grabbing a damp shirt and rubbing his skin down as best he could before taking a few seconds to do the same to Cas.
Cas grabbed a button down, grabbing Dean's hand and feeding it through the end, pulling it over Dean's shoulders as carefully as possible before thrusting a pair of jeans in his hands. He turned and scrambled to pull his own clothes on.
"In the kit th- there is a blanket. It's silver, folded up tight…" He was slower pulling the pants over his legs with one hand, his other arm tight to his side to avoid moving it as much as possible.
Cas found the emergency blanket, pulling it out of the small sleeve it was in and hastily unwrapping it.
Dean didn't bother messing with changing his socks or getting back into his boots, instead pulling the blanket out of Cas' hands and wrapping it around them both while guiding Cas back to sit against a tree..
They pressed against each other, unable to talk though the body-wracking shivers.
It took a few minutes for Dean to regain a bit of motor control, and he used it to quickly reach outside the blanket and grab a tee and pulling it up to try to dry his hair as much as possible. He handed it to Cas.
"W-where are we?" Cas asked, relieved to find the shaking let up just a little.
"No clue." Dean said, pressing just a little closer to Cas, finally feeling a hint of warmth. His mind flashed back to hitting the pavement two states out of Kansas the first time he ever teleported. In spite of their current situation, he was at least a little glad they hadn't hit solid ground at that speed.
He took a second to focus on his arm, feeling small sparks of electricity every time he shifted against the mylar. It was healing. He was pretty sure there was no bone exposed anymore.
So there's that at least.
"You're sure you're not hurt?"
"I am fine." Cas looked over Dean as best he could from so close. "Your shoulder?" He hadn't gotten much of a view of it when he was struggling to get clothed, but what little he saw was concerning.
"I'll live."
Cas sighed. "We should make a plan."
"Yeah." Dean said, turning his mind to the task and trying to block out the cold. "Fire." He said. "We need a fire…"
"Where do we start?"
"We gather sticks one at a time, only outside the blanket for a couple minutes." Dean swallowed.
"You must be careful with your arm."
"Yeah… Not yet though… we need to warm up all the way."
Cas nodded, repositioning himself slightly to press even closer to Dean.
"The fire can dry our clothes." Dean said. "We can make a real plan after that."
"I'd like a real plan."
"We'll start with a priorities list."
"Not dying."
"Yeah, that's pretty high up there." Dean muttered. He tried to make out their surroundings in what light they had. Dark woods to one side, rushing water to the other.
Cas leaned his head back against the tree they had backed up to. "I'm getting really tired of being almost human."
"Speak for yourself."
"Well, enjoy." Cas said, dismissively.
Dean managed a slight smile before sighing. "Well, I on the other hand can't stay dead from this, but I'd rather not experience dying of exposure."
"What else is in the bag?"
"A bag of jerky and a couple candy bars for one."
"That is fortunate." Starving to death wasn't an immediate concern.
Dean could hear Bobby in his head giving him crap for not restocking his kit better, but he'd argue that present situation aside, it has been months since he'd had any use for anything but clothes. It was only being too lazy to unpack that meant they had anything at all. First aid kit had like three bandaids, a pair of tweezers, and some of that antibiotic stuff. Oh, "And a book of matches." waterproof. Putting fire firmly within reach. Sort of.
"Okay."
Dean sunk down a bit in the blanket, his expression flattening. "Wish we were somewhere warm."
"Where were you trying to go?"
"The parking lot."
"You missed."
"Yeah. Thanks."
.
Sam knew Charlie beat him to Texas by a couple hours. He pulled past the coned barriers, relieved to see her across the parking lot, waiting. He threw his rental in park, getting out and hurrying over.
"Hey, Sam."
"Hey."
"They can't decide whether it was an explosion or a sinkhole. Whatever it was cracked the foundation and knocked out power in the whole building."
"Anyone killed?"
"A couple people got hurt, but no one died. I just got back from the hospital. They all heard screaming right before the explosion."
"Screaming like-"
"Like in pain. Fire and Rescue just cleared the building and ruled it structurally sound. I haven't been in yet." She started walking with him. "The room they were in was ground zero."
Sam frowned, looking at the split and displaced pavement, running in cracks from the blown out door frame. Stepping inside, singed walls matched with the burned mattress. Almost everything was at least partially burnt, Dean's laptop half melted to the remains of the corner table.
"Yikes." Charlie muttered, walking in behind Sam.
He pressed forward, looking over the sinks before turning to the splintered bathroom, tub and toilet both overturned with the violence of the blast.
Sam frowned, squinting in the dim light. He stepped over a sizable chunk of drywall, bending over to pick up a small leather satchel. His shoulders dropped. "Hex bag."
"What?"
"I'm betting Rowena did this."
Charlie looked around them, scanning the destruction. "And them?"
Sam took a shaky breath. "If they got caught in it…"
"They can't be killed." Charlie said, quietly.
"Dean can't be killed."
She stilled, feeling her heart rate pick up. "You think?"
"I don't know." Sam said, feeling the dread creep up his spine. "That tattoo could be burned off. If they got caught…"
"Sam-"
"The spell could have burned off the tattoo."
"You think he'd have run?"
Sam closed his eyes. "If they got caught? If Cas died?" He shook his head. "Yeah, I think he'd run. And then I think he'd burn down the world."
"You really think he would?"
"Yes." Sam said, taking a deep breath.
"But we don't know they got caught in it." Charlie pointed out. "What do we know?"
"Dean and Cas were on a case. Victim ended up being a witch. They caught Rowena on the security camera."
"We're sure this was her?" Charlie asked, gesturing to the destruction around them.
"Pretty safe bet." Sam backtracked through the ruined motel room, heading over to the Impala awkwardly perched on the uneven blacktop. "I was on the phone with Cas when he suddenly hung up." Sam was glad to find the door unlocked. He leaned down with a sigh. "Got out without his phone."
"Dean's GPS?"
Sam shook his head. "A bust. Was in the motel for another eighteen minutes. Then it jumps north. Didn't have time to give a solid location before it cuts out. Maybe a second."
"So he got out of there."
"Yeah." Sam said. "Either the phone got damaged while he got out, or he smashed it the second he landed."
"What now?"
"We try to retrace their steps."
Charlie nodded. "Okay, where do we begin?"
"They headed out to a bar. I guess find the nearest bar and start there."
.
"As God's my witness we came face to face with the devil himself. Black eyes, forked tongue, horns." Roy flexed his unrestrained arm. "Fired a round right into his head, didn't even slow him down."
Charlie frowned. "You shot him?"
The bartender had pointed them towards the hospital. They found Roy still there, with two more already released. Roy was sporting a bad concussion, shattered clavicle, broken wrist and hand, and more than a little bruising.
"He had a freak with him. Dark hair. Some kind of demon. Knocked my boys right out."
Sam took out a notebook under the pretense of taking his statement. "What exactly started the fight?"
"We were on our way out of the bar when those two were waiting for us."
"You didn't talk before?"
"No, sir. Not a word. I have no idea what they wanted."
"What prompted you to shoot him?"
"That freak reached out and snapped Earl's arm, just like that. He had a fist full of my shirt, thought sure my neck was next." He shook his head. "He was bleedin' something awful, big hole in the middle of his face, but he was just laughing and then he healed himself like it was nothin'."
"Was there anyone else with you in the alley?"
"Just Earl, Charlie, and me." Roy insisted. "They were animals."
"Alright." Sam said with a sigh. "We'll let you know if we have any more questions."
"You want my advice?"
No, Sam thought.
"Call a priest. This ain't no matter for the FBI, that thing's unholy."
.
"Do you believe him?" Charlie asked as soon as they were out of the hospital and heading towards her car.
"No." Sam sighed. "Story is way too convenient."
"Security cameras?"
"The only one on the street was in a post office."
"And?"
"The footage had mysteriously been deleted. Some guy flashed his badge and asked to take a look at the tapes yesterday. Tall, brown hair, sunglasses."
"Dean?"
"I can only guess." Sam slipped into the passenger seat, settling back and looking out the windshield. "Why didn't Cas say anything about this?"
"You think he was hiding it?"
"He obviously was. I told him to call me if anything happened while they were out."
"Then maybe they had a good reason and he didn't want you to worry."
"It didn't work."
Charlie was quiet for a minute. "Sam… Do you think they're okay?"
Sam closed his eyes. "No." He took a deep breath, trying to shake it off. "I don't know. I hope so."
Charlie unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. "If they were okay they would have called." She said, so soft Sam almost missed it.
"Maybe they can't for some reason."
"Dean… he…"
Sam shook his head. "If Cas really is… I wouldn't want to be Rowena. Dean is gonna hunt her down first."
"And after?"
"I don't know. He doesn't have the mark… but I don't know if that's enough to stop him."
"Sam… I have to ask…" Charlie swallowed. "In Cape Cod… the Eastham massacre… Was that Dean?"
Sam's breath hitched, fighting off a flashback of burned and mutilated bodies on a beach. "The first time he was a demon… when he had the mark."
"It… it made him-" Charlie's voice cut off.
"Like I said… I don't know what he'd do now."
"They're very close."
"They are." Sam looked down, brushing some dirt off his jeans. He gave a faint smile. "Cas is good for him… They're good for each other. Some of their time together was the happiest I've ever seen Dean… or Cas… and I don't know if I could have gotten Dean through his first time human after Eastham."
"Not to mention the cabin in Iowa."
"Cas trapped himself with Dean to give him a chance, even after Dean lost control. And Dean was willing to give it a chance for Cas." He shook his head. "In this line of work… It's hard to make connections. A handful of hunters get it… they either get out of the life or find another hunter, but I never thought…" Sam trailed off.
"Chuck's books ended when Dean went to Lisa's."
"After that I sort of figured that was it. The only chance Dean would ever give himself. I never saw this coming."
Charlie gave a gentle fond smile."When did it start?"
"They got into a car accident. Demons, it was a whole thing." He said, dismissively. "I don't know exactly when after that. They stayed in a different cabin for a while, recovering. I noticed they were pretty close… It was a while before I managed to corner Dean into telling me."
"I'm sure that went well."
Sam gave a short laugh. "Yeah. I should have just forced Cas to talk. Would have been worlds easier. Still… he really opened up after that."
"They seem so comfortable with each other."
"If Cas is gone… there's nothing left to keep Dean grounded."
"Like you said, he doesn't have the mark…"
"He's still a demon."
"Do you think he'd listen to you?"
"No. I think if Cas is dead, there's no one left he'd hear."
.
Several states to the north, Dean and Cas were still pressed side to side within a mylar cocoon.
Cas slipped slightly on the foil wrap beneath them. "I'm starting to feel warmer."
"Yeah, these things rock." Dean said absently.
"Can our clothes even keep us warm while wet?"
"They're better than nothing, but they're gonna cool off quick." He shook his head. "We'll be fine."
"Will we?"
"I have no idea."
"Great." Cas said, flatly.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Shut up." Dean ignored a vague protest when the slit opened slightly and allowed the freezing air to hit Cas' skin. He pulled his boots and Cas' shoes in, shuddering as he felt the icy leather, regretting not bringing them in sooner. "I'm going to open the tarp and jump out. I'll see if I can find a few sticks before I have to come back."
"Cold and wet and into the blanket."
"If you'd rather, I can just freeze to death."
Cas sighed. "No." He said at last. "You can come back in."
"Gee, thanks." Dean rolled his eyes. "Besides, you should probably hop out when I get back. No use me cooling you down before you get out there yourself. We'll each take a turn and then wait a half hour or so before trying again."
"Sounds tedious."
"If we get lucky, we'll have a fire going before midnight." Or what was probably midnight, if they weren't in a different timezone entirely.
"So you expect it to take hours then."
"Yeah, pretty much." Dean said with a sigh. "We're sort of limited to shit we can find on the ground. We're just lucky there isn't snow."
"What do we do after we get a fire?"
"Wait until morning. Hang our clothes out to dry. It'll be easier to make a plan when we can see a little better." He looked up at the moonlit sky, partially obscured by bare branches.
"You've done this before?"
"Bobby used to take us camping." Dean said. "We made our own camp and shelter a few times. Never this cold though."
"I hung up on Sam when I saw you with Garth."
"Hopefully he caught the first plane out of wherever he was and the cavalry is on its way."
"Do you think he'll be able to find us?"
"I fuckin' hope so."
