Song Remains the Same

Chapter 37: Sacrifice

"Your name is pounding through my veins, can't you hear how it is sung?"
- Dashboard Confessional

"The end is nigh!" the street preacher called loudly. He stood in front of a liquor store holding a bible high above his head.

Dean hurried over. If he hesitated at all, he might not follow through.

"The apocalypse is upon us!" the preacher proclaimed tirelessly in a voice hoarse from shouting. "The angels talk to me, and they asked me to talk to you! The apocalypse—"

"Hey!" Dean interrupted breathlessly. The preacher looked at him in surprise. "I'm Dean Winchester. Do you know who I am?"

The preacher's eyes widened with recognition and his mouth fell open. "Dear God!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Dean muttered, a little weirded out. "Listen, I uh, need you to pray to your angel buddies and let 'em know I'm here."

Without any further encouragement, the preacher fell to his knees in prayer, sandwiching his bible between his hands. Dean's pulse jumped and he tried not to panic. He was really gonna do this, wasn't he? He didn't have time to think about it anymore. The preacher began to pray in an impassioned voice as Dean's stomach began to churn in earnest. "Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name—"

"You pray too loud," growled a familiar voice and Dean jumped, startled at the sudden appearance of Castiel who touched the preacher and rendered him unconscious in the span of a half-second. The preacher hadn't even finished falling to the ground before Dean was realizing oh shit not good—but before he could react any further, he was grabbed hard and dragged into a nearby alley. For the second time that day, Cas slammed Dean up against a wall, this time brick, and pain exploded across Dean's already-bruised back and shoulders.

"What are you crazy?!" Dean protested even as Cas flung him to the opposite side of the alley. Disoriented, he stumbled from the force of the push as Cas grabbed him tightly, shoving him flat against the wall.

"How could you?!" Castiel shouted, and then reeled back and hit Dean in the face twice, each impact of the angel's fist making pain explode. Cas grabbed Dean tightly by the collar, seething through bared teeth. "The angels took her because of you!"

"W-what?" Dean asked, his confused mind suddenly ringing in a whole new kind of alarm. But Castiel didn't explain, he hurled Dean to the other side of the alley, blinded by rage. He hit Dean in the stomach, once then twice—and it was like being struck by a mallet. "Cas! Please!" Dean begged, blood seeping out of his mouth.

"No!" Cas snarled, throwing him to the other side of the alley and then grabbing him tightly. "You don't deserve mercy," he spat. "Not after what you've done, what you were about to do!" He shook Dean angrily. "I gave everything for you!" Cas raged. "And you give me this?! You betray us all!?" He stared venomously, and his low voice trembled. "If she dies because of what you've done..." He trailed off, too angry to finish his sentence.

He dragged Dean away from the wall with one hand then drew back and hit him hard in the face, sending him stumbling backward. Relentless, Cas steadily bore down on the lurching man and then kicked him hard. Dean flew back, hitting the chain link fence several feet up from the ground before he slammed back down.

Crumpled on hard concrete, Dean heard footsteps and he cringed, anticipating that Cas's strong hands would grab, drag him up, and beat him some more. Then the footsteps stopped. Nothing happened. Struggling, he looked up to see Cas looking down at him with cold fury written all over his features. "Tell me why I shouldn't lay you to waste right here and now," the angel hissed.