Wake Me Up When the Bad Life Ends / Book Seven / The Life Series / Supernatural

Torn and Frayed

Dean and I were in Rufus' cabin, lying on the couch. Dean had his arm around me. 

I had my head on his chest. "You sent Sam a phantom text from his ex? Dick move, Dean."

"Yeah, not my finest hour," Dean told me.

"So, he found some normalcy with this chick, and now he's on the brink of losing it," I told him. "Again. Nice going."

"Hey," Dean told me in defense. I smiled a small smile. "Trust me. This life... you can't afford outside attachments."

"And I'm not an outside attachment, right?" I asked. "I mean, I'm right there along with you for the ride."

"Exactly," Dean told me.

"You know, like Isaac and Tamara always used to say," I told him. "The family that slays together..." Dean chuckled. I looked up at him, leaning closer to kiss him, pulling away after a moment. Dean looked at me curiously. "What?"

Dean shook his head. "Nothing. Just... seems like things are okay."

"Not... okay," I admitted. "Getting there." Dean smiled a small smile. I smiled, kissing him more deeply than before, pulling away, sitting up, turning to face him. Dean looked behind me in confusion. "There's somebody behind me, isn't there?"

I turned to look over my shoulder to see Castiel.

"Damn it, Cas," Dean told him.

"I need your help," Castiel told us. "The angel Samandiriel--"

Dean sat up.

I sat back against the couch. "Sam--"

"He's been taken," Castiel told us.

"You mean Alfie, the wiener-on-a-stick kid?" I asked.

"Yes," Castiel answered. "I, uh, I head his distress call this morning."

"On what, angel radio?" Dean asked. "I thought you shut that down."

"Well, my penance, it's going well, and I thought it was time to turn it back on," Castiel told us. "I've, uh... been helping people."

"Well, good for you," I told him. "All right. So, who snatched Heaven's most adorable angel?"

"Crowley," Castiel answered.

Dean and I exchanged a look, looking at Castiel.

"I'm listening," Dean told him.

"Samandiriel is being held in the general vicinity of Hastings, Nebraska," Castiel explained.

I stood. "The general vicinity? That's all you got?"

"Yes, which is why I need your help," Castiel told us. "It seems this is gonna involve talking to people."

"Come on, Cas," Dean told him. "I thought you were a hunter now."

"Well, I thought so, too, but..." Castiel trailed off. "It seems I--I lack a certain--"

"Skill?" Dean finished.

I sat down at the table, opening my laptop. "All right. What am I looking for?"

"Well, when you torture an angel, it screams," Castiel explained. I typed 'Nebraska News, Hastings' into a search engine. "And that kind of pain, it creates a ripple effect of strange incidents. Where's Sam?"

Dean stood. "Sam's gone. It's all right. We'll, uh, find Alfie ourselves."

I looked at my laptop.

The headline on the "Lincoln Globe" website on the laptop read:

Tornadoes, Strong Winds Cause Damage Across Nebraska.