Heaven's Child ≫ SPN

29. Say Goodbye to All You've Ever Known...

Sam and Dean || Impala, half an hour earlier

"Dude." Sam intervened when Dean pulled them into the parking lot of a cafe.

"I need the caffeine," Dean muttered, putting the car in park.

"That's your fourth cup today."

"What is it with you counting the things I drink?" Dean returned, annoyed, closing the car door a bit too hard behind him.

"Didn't sleep last night?"

Dean sighed. "No." And then he added with a slight smirk, "And not even because the lady next door is a creamer."

"God," Sam cracked a smile, shaking his head as he walked in the small store after Dean.

Dean set the fresh coffee on one of the many papers Sam had sprawled on the table. He slid in the seat, just about to take a sip when he realized that Sam was laughing at something to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head.

Dean shot him a flat look.

"Just uh...little angel has trouble keeping it in at night."

A laugh made Dean shake once too. "Yeah...I was surprised they let her stay after we did everything to prove we come from nine kinds of crazy." He made a double take when Sam was still smiling to himself.

"Dude, what?"

"I don't know. I don't see you joke around like that anymore."

He took his arms off the table and began to stir his coffee.

"It's nice," Sam continued.

"Yeah, well, she's annoying."

"You like her."

"Whatever." He put his coffee down, staring at something.

"Kevin likes her too."

"Yeah, they text each other. Like they're normal young people or something."

"Normalcy is good."

"Not in this case. Who do you think pays for those texts?"

"Anybody but you." Sam laughed. There was small quiet between them, the kind where they both knew they were lost in thought.

"Hey, do you think he like likes her?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Sam nodded slowly. "He does seem to shower more, I'll give you that."

Dean shook his head. "Dumb kid should know better."

It was quiet for a bit, while the reality of Eliza's ambiguous ending set in. Was she going to die and take the world down with her? Was she going to turn dark side? Was she going to stay with them through it all?

"Just because her life isn't exactly apple pie doesn't mean she can't have intimate relationships. She's still a person."

"Yeah, because that worked out for you so well? For me? For Bobby? For dad?"

Sam rolled his eyes, but he knew Dean was right.

"Even all of our platonic relationships—everyone we know is dead. She should learn from our mistakes."

Sam's face twisted in annoyance. "What kind of life is that?"

"One where all your friends survive."

"Because you don't have any?"

"Can't lose them if they don't exist."

"You didn't tell her any of this, did you?"

"No," Dean shrugged, defiant, "but I will if I want to."

"No, Dean. Someone like her needs intimacy especially because someday when she consumes enough souls, she won't be able to feel anything at all! She needs something to keep her human."

"And so we let her take whoever she pleases as collateral."

"If she was here she would say that we don't let her do anything and she's right. She could choose to have intimate relationships with people if she wants to, and you need to keep your opinions to yourself."

Dean paused. Then he let out a breath and rubbed his eyes. "Oh my god. We're fighting like she's actually our daughter or something."

Sam was still felt the heat from their argument, but with the look on Dean's face and the pride button he was still wearing, it was hard to fight the smile that took him over. A small laugh shook him and he shook his head at what happened earlier.

"I can't believe she made us do that."

"I'm pretty sure revenge is sinking in now, leaving her stranded at camp psycho all alone." Something caught his attention. It was the newspaper stand by the exit. "What the..."

Dean pulled out the newspaper Sam had picked up from the convince store that led them to this hunt. But the ones on the newsstand, from the same company, had different issues all together.

When did newspapers sell two different cover stories on the same day?

Sam answered his phone when it rang. "Liz?"

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