Cowboys and Angels

23. The Prisoner

Dean and Sam cut wood and brought it over to a pyre they'd built for Charlie. They both had flashbacks to their interactions with Charlie.

SAM

"What about you, you gonna let it go?" Charlie asked.

"Never," Dean replied.

"That's my boys."

They hugged.

"Charlie," Sam said. "Hey! I got you."

"I forgive you, Dean," Charlie told him.

"I'm so sorry, kiddo."

Dean carried Charlie's body, wrapped in white cloth, to the pyre and with Sam's help, placed her on it.

DEAN

"I love you," Charlie said.

Dean smiled. "I know."

Sam and Dean stood next to each other, watching Charlie's body burn.

Sam broke the silence. "Charlie. We're gonna miss you. You were the best. And I'm so sorry-"

"Shut up," Dean interrupted. "You got her killed, you don't get to apologize."

"I was trying to help you."

"I didn't need help. I told you to leave it alone."

"What was I supposed to do, just -- watch you die?"

"The Mark isn't going to kill me."

"Maybe not, but when it's done with you, you won't be you anymore. Dean, you're all I've got. So of course, I was gonna fight for you because that's what we do. And listen, I had a shot-"

"Yeah, you had a shot. Charlie's dead. Nice shot."

"You think I'm -- You think I'm ever -- gonna forgive myself for that?"

"You wanna know what I think?" Dean said. "I think it should be you up there, not her. This thing with Cas, and the book, ends now. Shut it down before somebody else gets hurt. You understand me?"

Sam looked into the fire, digesting his words. "And what about you?"

Dean spoke. "Oh I'm gonna find whoever did this. And I'm gonna rip apart everything and everyone that they ever loved. And then I'm gonna tear our their heart."

Sam looked at his brother. "Is that you talking or the Mark?"

"Does it matter?"

Dean turned and walked away. Sam watched him leave.

---

Dean exited a motel on his phone. "Rudy, I just sent you some security cam footage of a black sedan. I need you to run the plates."

"Yeah can do, just give me a sec here." Rudy paused. "Weird. Uh, the vehicle's registered to Eldon Styne out of Shreveport, Louisiana, but there's no street address. This guy got something to hide?"

"Yeah, big time. I'll fill you in later, thanks."

"Yeah sure, but um, isn't that what Sam's for?"

"Sam's busy." Dean hung up and got into the Impala.

ROWENA'S HIDEOUT

"Stop looking at me," Castiel protested.

"I'm sorry," Rowena apologized. "You're just fascinating. An angel that rejected Heaven. That's like a fish that wants to fly, or a dog that thinks he's people."