Cowboys and Angels

21. Angel Heart

LIVING ROOM

The front door opened and Jessie Novak, dressed in a grey pin striped dress, entered through the door into the entryway of the house.

"Aiden?" Jessie called. "Aiden?!"

A man stood at the top of the stairs leading from the entryway. "Jessie? Jessie?" He ran ¾ of the way down the stairs. "Is it... you?"

Jessie nodded slowly. "Castiel is gone. It's me. Sorry. I'm so sorry. I never..."

Aiden ran down the rest of the stairs and hugged Jessie. "I looked everywhere for you. I thought I lost you again."

"It's okay. It's okay." They ended the embrace and Aiden took Jessie's face in his hands. "It's..." Aiden's forearms were resting on Jessie's chest. Blood started to ooze through his shirt on his left arm. "It's okay. I'm home now."

Aiden looked down to his forearms as the bloodstain grew larger. "What's happening?"

"How's our girl? How's Claire?" Jessie was oblivious to what was happening to Aiden as he got increasingly upset.

"No! Not again! No!"

DARK ROOM

Aiden was strapped to a cot. He was wearing a grey tank top and looked worn and haggard. A man in a suit was sitting on the side of the cot with him. He was making whimpering noises and trying to sit up and pull away as the man held his arm and placed something against the crook of his elbow.

"Shh. Shh," the man said as he dragged a knife across his arm and made a small incision. Blue light and smoke came out of the cut and the man inhaled the smoke, closing his eyes as he did so.

"No! No!" Aiden cried.

"Shh. Shh. Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh." The man placed his hand on Aiden's cheek. "You're safe, Aiden." Aiden closed his eyes and appeared to go to sleep. "You're home."

Jessie's voice sounded. "Aiden?"

HOUSE

Jessie entered and closed the door behind her. She walked into the entryway and looked around. "Aiden?!"

Aiden, dressed as in the first scene, came down the stairs. "Jessie? Is it... you?"

"I'm so sorry." Aiden ran down the stairs and hugged Jessie. "I'm so sorry I left."

Jessie and Aiden were in the entryway. He was holding her face in his hands. "I looked everywhere for you.

ABANDONED BUILDING

Aiden was sleeping in the abandoned building as the man stroked his cheek.

---

Claire entered a bar and passed a pool table as she approached the bar.

"The hell do you think you're doing in here?" the female bartender asked.

"Come on, it's my birthday tomorrow," Claire replied.

"How old you gonna be? 12? Hmm."

Claire pulled money from her pocket and held it out towards the bartender. "More like 50." She laid the $50 on the bar. "I'm looking for a guy named Ronnie Cartwright. He's supposed to be a regular around here."

The bartender picked up the money.

Claire approached a man, from behind, at a table and stood alongside the table. "Ronnie Cartwright?"

The man looked at her, turned his head away, and sighed. "Whatever you're selling, I ain't buyin' sweetheart."

Claire sat across Ronnie from the table. "I need your help, Ronnie. I'm trying to track somebody." She reached into her jacket, pulled out a picture of Aiden, and laid it on the table facing Ronnie.