Until We Meet Again, My Angel

Chapter 18: Let the Thunder Roll

   Sam, enraged once again, shoved Cas- the force throwing him into the wall three feet behind him. Unable to control himself, Sam roared, "IDIOT! You may have killed my brother!"
"We don't know that!" Cas pleaded, "We could search for him!"
"How?!" Sam bellowed, "We don't know where he could be! I don't even know when he left the motel!"
"I-" Castiel was cut short by a buzzing sound in one of the pockets of his trench coat.
   Gazing at the screen, Cas' heart skipped a beat. Snapping his attention to Sam, the Angel said, "It's a message... from Dean." Castiel pushed the speaker button and played the voicemail,
   "Hi, Cas, it's Dean. Look, I'm sorry for those things I said to you. I love you, and I always will," Dean sniffed, obviously starting to cry. "Until we meet again, my Angel."

"Until we meet again, my Angel." 
   Dean hung up the phone and wiped the tears from his eyes. Looking around the bar, Dean took in every detail; the scratches on the counter's wood finish, the smelled of spilled beer and dried blood, the buzzing of the light bulbs a day away from giving out.
   Downing the rest of his whiskey, Dean put a fifty-dollar bill on the counter. The bartender, a middle-aged blonde woman who smelled of cigarette smoke, took the bill and rifled through her apron for his change. Still searching, she nodded toward Dean's shoulders and mumbled, "I like your tattoos. They your first?" Dean, realizing she was referring to the scars Cas had left on his shoulders, gave a friendly chuckle and admitted, "Yeah, first and only. Burned like Hell." She laughed, then gestured to Dean's empty glass. "Hope you're not planning on driving anywhere tonight." Dean nodded half-heartedly, murmured for her to keep the change, and walked out.
   Stepping into the night air, Dean took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. The Hunter reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a vibrating cell phone, the screen was lot and bore the name of the caller: "Sammy." Sighing, Dean rejected the call and placed the phone back in his pocket, then stumbled over to the Impala. Though he wasn't drunk, he wasn't completely sober. The Hunter climbed into the driver's seat, slammed the door, and said, "Sorry, Baby, but you're gonna get a little banged up. Don't worry, though- Sammy's gonna take real good care of you. That way, you'll still be in the family."

   Driving down the road, Dean wondered where he should do it- he didn't know this town very well. His phone, which he had thrown onto the passenger's seat after Sam's third attempt to reach him, began buzzing again. Dean was about to slide the reject button a fourth time when he realized the screen no longer said "Sammy." This time, it said "Cas." Surprised, Dean answered the call, raised the phone to his face, and breathed.
"Hey, Cas."
"Dean, thank God, are you alright?" Cas' voice dripped with worry.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." Dean paused, his voice catching in his throat as he said, "Cas, I'm so sorry for everything I said to you."
"Dean," The Angel's words were laced with panic, "Where are you?"
   Dean hesitated. Deciding to ignore his savior's question, saying instead, "I love you, Cas."
"Dean, listen to me." The Winchester could hear terror in Castiel's voice, "You don't have to do this!"
"I love you." Dean ended the call, threw his phone out the window, and closed his eyes... just as the Impala crashed into a light post.

   Dean opened his eyes and saw nothing but blurs of color and light. He could hear someone yelling and thought it must be someone who saw the crash. The crash. He hadn't expected to wake up. Shutting his eyelids, Dean shook his head- hard- and his senses cleared. Once again opening his eyes, Dean realized the large blur in front of him was Castiel and the shouting was coming from the Angel, as well. The world came into focus, everything hitting him at once...
"DEAN! DEAN! Can you hear me?!" Cas interrogated, "What did you do?! Can you see me?!"
   Dean tried to laugh at Cas' worry, but instead he coughed blood all over Castiel's trench coat, which earned him a concerned, "Oh my God." from the Angel.
   Castiel leaned in closer, looked into Dean's eyes, and asked, "Dean... Can. You. Hear. Me?"
   Dean swallowed the blood in his mouth and forced himself to say, "Yes, C-Castiel. I can h-hear you." The Angel sobbed in relief, and went on, "Why did you do this?" Dean smiled weakly at his savior and choked out his response, "I c-couldn't l-live witho-out you. I l-love you."
   Cas cupped Dean's cheek as his tears began to fall larger and faster. Castiel sighed and said, "I love you, too, Dean. I always have."
   Dean tried to smile, but coughed up more blood. His vision became blurry and red. Cas' expression of love was wiped clean and replaced by horror as he yelled, "Oh shit!" Dean let out a guttural noise that Cas assumed was meant to be a laugh- he'd never heard the Angel swear before.
"Okay, Dean, don't worry. I can heal you."
   Castiel put two fingers on his lover's head, Dean braced himself and... nothing happened. He tilted his head, an action both difficult and painful. Dean heard Cas' heartbeat quicken as the Angel became deathly still and whispered, "Dean, lift up your shirt."
"L-look, I'm happy t-to see you, too," Dean joked through the blood, "but I don't think this is the best time-"
"Dean, something is stopping me from healing you and I will not fail you like I failed Claire!" Cas' gaze was fierce and absolute as he ordered, "Lift. Your damn. Shirt." Silenced, the Winchester obeyed. As the fabric was raised, Dean's eyes widened.
   There, embedded in his chest, was a shard of glass.