When Dean heard the knock on the door he groaned. He didn't want to deal with Cas right now and he most certainly didn't want to deal with Crowley either.
When Dean did eventually open the door he certainly didn't expect Patrick to be outside.
"Patrick?" Dean's voice came out quiet almost a whisper.
Patrick's dark eyes look up at him.
"Hello Dean."
Patrick still looked awful. The witch has managed to put some weight on but the frail, aged appearance still remained.
Dean's guilt immediately came crashing to the surface.
The hunter winced.
Patrick noticed it but chose to ignore it.
"May I come in?"
Dean stepped to the side without saying a word.
Patrick walked in and took a seat at the table. Dean closed the door and asked.
"You want a beer?"
Patrick nods.
"Please."
Dean grabs two beers and hands one to his new arrival. Patrick opens the cap and sips it. He sighs heavily and closes his eyes.
Dean takes the seat opposite him.
It was quiet for several moments. Then Patrick is the first to clear the silence.
"How are you?"
Dean raises an eyebrow. Patrick is the one who looked like crap yet he is asking how Dean is?
Dean swallowed unsure what to say.
"Another hunt?" Patrick said his eyes on the pile of books on the table.
"Yeah." Dean sighs. "Disappearances. All the victims were linked to this toy store turns out the people who went there never left."
"What happened to them?" Patrick asked. He sounded generally intrigued.
"The owner she...she turned them into dolls and kept them as part of her collection."
Patrick blinked.
"Dolls?"
"Yeah she used this shrinking spell. She nearly got me but I managed to kill her before the spell was complete."
"Oh I know what spell you are talking about but..." Patrick shakes his head. "...She's crazy."
"Bat shit crazy."
"And she got you?"
"She was close."
Patrick's lips curl upwards into an amused smile.
"Now that would have been quite a sight to see." Dean rolls his eyes. "Well you are the Ken of the supernatural." Patrick chuckled.
Dean huffed a smile at that. At that moment it felt like the good old times when Dean used to meet Patrick and during their sessions Dean would talk about the hunts he has been on. Patrick used to listen with interest as Dean told him his greatest hits.
Then the smile was wiped completely off the witch's face. His serious expression returned.
Dean found the smile fading from his own face as reality sank in.
Dean ruined their friendship.
The hunter frowned.
He missed their friendship.
"We need to talk Dean."
"I'm sorry." Dean said his voice strained. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't want your forgiveness I..I..."
Patrick raised his hand to silence him.
"I'm not here to talk about that. Dean..." Patrick takes a deep breath. "...The Mark I'm going to do the spell, Chuck will transfer the Mark on to someone else and..."
"Whoa whoa." Dean cuts him off. "You are gonna do it?" Patrick nods. "But Chuck He..."
"He's doing the right thing." Patrick replied. "He is going to help you get your life back."
"And you?"
"Me? I will leave and you will never hear from me again. Our business will be closed for good."
Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"But Sam..."
"Its not my problem Dean." The witch snapped. "I do not care what happens in your life! I am going to do the spell and I will leave that is final."
Dean sat back in his seat as he processed the witch's words.
"So you are basically giving up?"
"No."
"Bullshit." Dean abruptly sits up straight and glares at the other man. "You are giving up! You are letting Chuck get what He wants."
"Like I said Dean He is doing the right thing."
Dean shakes his head.
"No." Dean points at him. "You don't believe that. You were the one who convinced us that Chuck couldn't be trusted. You saw right through that son of a bitch you saw through His lies and now...now you agree with him?" Patrick looks at the ground. Dean narrowed his eyes. "He has something over you. What He has done this time?"
"He hasn't done anything Dean." Patrick looks back up at him. "This is all me. After you...shot me it made me realize some things and I...I can't do this anymore. This all this is beyond me beyond my control I thought I can make a difference but I was wrong." Pain showed on his face. "I want out Dean I want to carry on my life in peace. I just want things to go back to the way they were. So no I'm not giving up instead I'm choosing the sensible option. Even in poker sometimes you have to go out you can only stay in the game for so long. My time has come to an end. I'm out and I'm staying out." Patrick extends his hand towards Dean's arm. "And you cannot change my mind." When Dean refused to budge Patrick sighed. "Don't make this hard for me Dean."
"Why are you still old?" Patrick raises his eyebrow at the question. Dean grimaced at his choice of wording. "I mean its been a while since...and umm you haven't gone back out there?"
Dean stared at the witch's face. Patrick's face is blank when he answered.
"No."
Dean saw through the lie.
"You have." Dean nods. "You have played."
"A couple yes."
Another lie.
"Lots of games." Dean shakes his head. "You haven't won any of them. Am I right?"
Patrick winced at the reminder. Dean again nods.
"But why? You are good at what you do? So what has caused this?" Dean suddenly felt anger build inside him as realization dawned on him. "He does have something over you."
"No He doesn't Dean."
"You spoke to Him? Don't lie to me I already told you I know when you are lying."
Patrick grimaced. He then nods.
"Yes." He said his voice quiet.
"What the Hell did He do?"
"Nothing well...I don't know if this is His doing or its mine." Worry shows on the witch's face. "I can't play poker anymore I am useless at the game. This...This has never happened to me before I never lose control in a game but now...now I can't even win one bloody round and it is getting worse." He shakes his head. "Chuck said I am stuck in a rut and I hate to say it but I think He is right and the only way to move on is by getting you out my life. All of you the angel, the demon the witch gone for good. Maybe...maybe I will be able to play again and my youthful looks could return. Chuck said if I did this He will leave me alone and He will ensure I will get my life back."
"You trust Him?"
Patrick barked out a laugh.
"No but I agree with him about you affecting me. You screwed up big time Dean. You hurt me I could have died that day and...and...I been patient long enough and I'm tired I am tired of your crap! You will never change Dean you will always be selfish. Taking on the Mark was not heroic it was stupid all you done through your whole life is hurt people. People died because of you and your brother. You are not heroes YOU ARE MONSTERS. If you and Sam just stayed the Hell away from us then maybe she would have lived." Patrick shakes his head. "She would have lived." He repeated his voice trembling. "You turned her against me and you killed her. You killed her and your buddy God made fucking money out of it. It's sick...it's insane. I want no part of it."
The witch stands up. His fists are clenched. Fury blazed in his eyes.
"You killed her!" He repeated his voice full of anguish and pain. "YOU DID THIS! YOU RUINED MY LIFE...OUR LIVES!"
The witch had no idea where all this anger came from. It was like a bomb has been ticking inside him and just exploded. All the pent rage is coming out in full force.
"Even after all that I still helped you because I was worried about the world but well Chuck is here now to make this go all away. You are not my problem anymore I am done I have been used by you long enough. After all Dean we're not friends right? You said it yourself."
The witch gave a bitter laugh. Dean looked up at him with shock and guilt. Shock on what Patrick has just said. The outburst was so out of character for him Patrick has always been the calm one he has never lost control like this.
Control.
Dean's eyes suddenly widen.
"Patrick."
Patrick sits back down. He glares at the hunter.
"It's over Dean." He forced a smile. "I wish you luck."
"Wait wait Patrick."
Dean suddenly goes forward and crashes into the table. Patrick grabs Dean's arm.
"Uh uh."
Patrick raises his other hand and Dean found himself stuck to his seat.
"The spell needs to be done I need my life back." Patrick said desperately. "Also." He grins. "It's quite satisfying seeing you suffer. I should have done this a long time ago."
Patrick clenched his fist.
Dean cries out as a wave of pain goes through him.
"Patrick." Dean said his voice shaky. "This isn't you. Chuck I...I think He wants us to turn against each other."
"I told you Dean. " Patrick's eyes are dark. "This is all me."
Dean however disagreed.
"This isn't you." Dean repeated. "You have always been so calm."
"Being close to Death's door can change someone." Patrick snarled.
"I know I screwed up." Dean nods. "And I'm sorry but God damm Patrick you are better than this. The Patrick I know wouldn't take the easy way out. He is not a coward."
Dean again cried out as red hot searing pain goes through him.
"You don't know me Dean." Patrick grits his teeth. ""Now be a good boy and shut up! "
Dean wasn't going to back down. For years Patrick has helped him, saved him in his most darkest moments and now Dean wanted to return the favor. He wanted to help the witch.
"Remember the day I called you about the Mark when I...I missed the deadline."
Patrick's gaze goes on to him.
And I lost control and I almost killed you. " Dean continued. "But you helped me you brought me back I took back control because of you. If you were never there fuck knows what I would have done. The thing is you never gave up on me...never. I didn't deserve your support you are right I'm not a hero." Dean grits his teeth. "I'm nothing. You...You are not like me Patrick and I don't want you to turn into me you are stronger than this you can fight this, open your eyes and see what you are doing! Take back control and screw Chuck."
"I...I can't play anymore."
"He wants you to believe that. He made me believe in His bullshit. It has gone on too long now and it needs to stop." Dean's eyes become wide and pleading. "Come back to me buddy please. I already lost so much I can't lose you too. You are my friend. A good friend. Hell I would even consider you family now."
Patrick's eyes grew wide at that. His hand trembled slightly.
"Dean." He said his voice shaky.
"We can't let Him win and you know we can't let Him win." Dean replied.
Part of Patrick knew Dean is right. What is Patrick is doing now goes against everything Patrick believed in. Patrick stared at the hunter's arm. Tears started forming in his eyes. Patrick wanted his life back but this...this is not the way.
I am being a coward.
Patrick drops Dean's arm. The witch slumps back in his seat. Shock and horror is on his face.
Dean gasps and drops his arm to the side. He takes several deep breaths as the burning pain started to fade away.
"I screwed up." Patrick said his voice cracking. "It's all my fault. I did this to myself. I lost control." Patrick turns to the hunter. His face is screwed. "I lost control."
Then the dam broke.
Patrick broke down in tears.
All those weeks of pent up emotions came flooding out.
Dean moves his seat closer to the witch. He places his hand on the other man's shoulder.
"You never lost control." Dean nods. "You fought back you didn't give in."
Patrick muttered something in Irish something Dean couldn't understand.
Patrick has always been by Dean's side whenever Dean felt low and upset. Now it is time Dean did the same for Patrick.
Dean sat and waited for the witch to let it all out.
He waited.
The case Dean spoke about is a reference to one of my earlier stories Part of My Collection. The stories are not linked but I do love to throw in the Easter eggs lol.