Baby

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"How'd you know he was a witch?" Castiel inquired after healing both Sam and Dean's wounds.

Both boys slept peacefully in their beds while the angel and car watched over them.

"I didn't. Not for sure. I just took a guess and hoped I got it right," the young woman shrugged.

She had changed out of the tight dress and heels back into her jeans and flannel she had been wearing when she first turned human. The amulet Puckett had stolen from her was back around her neck. Castiel smiled at the Impala's reasoning, unable to ignore the parallels it had to Sam and Dean's line of thinking when they were on a hunt. Then again, she was a Winchester just like them, even if she was just their car.

"How long do you think until I turn back?" Baby asked the angel.

"A few hours at the least," Cass said.

"There's, um, something I need to do before I turn. And then I need a favor when I get back."

"Of course," Castiel nodded.

Swallowing, the Impala looked at Dean before grabbing Sam's phone and heading out the door. An hour and a half later, right as the sun was starting to rise, she returned, placing Sam's phone back on the nightstand. Gesturing, she led Castiel outside. She stepped down into the empty parking space outside the Winchester's door while Cass remained on the sidewalk.

"What favor did you want from me?" Cass asked her, confused.

"Just... stay with me," she told him, eyes wide and pleading as they met his piercing blue gaze.

The angel nodded and the pair stared out at the rising sun. Even after the Impala turned back, Castiel continued to stand out on the sidewalk with her, watching as the sun's rays bounced off the sleek black exterior. He could just make out Dean's amulet through the windshield, swaying slightly as it hung from the rearview mirror.

---

Dean used the wrench to screw the last bolt in place under the hood of the Impala. He had spent all morning fixing her up so she was good as new. There had been several trips down to Luke's garage for supplies, and he had taken his time, trying to give the car as much TLC as he could. He figured after everything she went through, spending several hours to make her good as new again was the least he could do for her. Finally, he closed the hood with a smile, placing his fingers to his lips before setting them on the hood. As he wiped sweat from his brow and put the wrench back in the toolbox from her trunk, a man came running up to him.

"Excuse me? Are you Dean Winchester?"

"Yeah, why?"

"This was rush ordered last night by some girl who said you were leaving town today."

The man held out a small envelope to him. Taking it, he thanked the man before watching him run off again. Leaning back against the car, Dean opened the envelope slowly with a finger. Inside he pulled out a letter and two developed photographs. He looked at the pictures first, tears stinging the edges of his eyes as he did so. The first picture was of Baby, one hand pushing her hair out of her face as she smiled for the camera. The second was of the two of them entwined on his bed. Biting his lip as he blinked back the tears, he unfolded the letter then.

'Dear Dean,

By the time you read this, I'll have changed back into a car again. I just wanted to tell you thank you. I really don't know how to put into words the gratitude I feel for the love you have given me over the years. You have taken such good care of me, rebuilding me from the ground up after I was totaled and keeping me well-maintained ever since.

We didn't get to spend very much time together as people, but know that I'll never truly leave you. I'll be here to comfort your darkest nights and to celebrate your greatest triumphs. I have carried you over this great country countless times and I'll do it countless more. Nothing could bring me greater joy than knowing I'll be there for you.

Don't cry for me, now that I can no longer be around to talk with you. I'm in every song you play through my speakers. Every purr of my engine. In the rattle of those damn Legos you left in my vents. That is my voice, and that is how I communicate with you every day. I love you, Dean Winchester, and can't wait to see where the road takes us to next.

Yours forever,
Baby'

Dean wiped a tear from the paper before it could blot the words out as he reread the letter. Reaching a hand down, he patted the hood underneath him fondly with a sad smile.

"I love you too, Baby," he whispered.

As he folded up the letter and slipped it and the pictures into his jacket, Sam came out with their bags.

"Ready?" he asked his older brother.

"Yeah," Dean nodded, climbing behind the wheel of the Impala. "What about you, Baby? You ready?"

As the engine purred to life, Dean smiled, pulling out of the parking lot. The sun glinted off the sleek black exterior of the 1967 Chevrolet Impala as she drove smoothly on the open highway, carrying the two brothers inside out of town and on the road back home.

-FIN-