Broken Apart (Dean Winchester x Reader)

Final Notice

"Dean, where the hell are you?" You heard Sam ask the person he was talking to over the phone, and you dropped your french fry, your fingers going numb as you waited with baited breath to see what would happen next.

You wished you were somewhere private, that way Sam could turn the call onto the speaker, letting you hear what Dean had to say. But there was a couple in the bench behind Sam, and an older man sitting at the bar right by the side of your table. Knowing Dean, especially Dean with the Mark, the things he would be saying shouldn't be heard by normal people.

Sam stayed silent, and you figured Dean was talking on the other end of the phone. Biting your lip, you waited for Sam's reply, squirming in your seat, wishing he had called you instead. You understood why he called his brother, but still, you hated waiting, not knowing what was going on.

Sam's face was going through a multitude of emotions, from happiness that his brother had finally called him, to shock at what Dean was probably saying. It was the last emotions that crossed his face that had your hands shaking, your lip in between your teeth. Disbelief was the first, his eyes quickly flashing to yours before dropping down to where his hand clutched his water. Then sadness. You could tell even without seeing his face, the way he let his hair drape over his face, his broad shoulders drooping. "Listen Dean, whatever you're doing, wherever you are, please stop. We can help you." He pleaded, before his voice stopped working on him.

You sat there, wanting to get up and leave, to not hear whatever else that was going to be said during this conversation. You wanted to be a coward, to run out of the diner and never look back. Because you knew for a fact that whatever was happening in that conversation was not a good thing.

"Yeah, I saw him. But Dean, it was the Mark. Let us help you!" You heard the desperation in Sam's words, and you had to fight back tears, torn between the fact that you needed to hear Dean's voice but not wanting to hear the quit in it, or the hard edge the Mark gave it.

"No you can't be done. Y/N and I, we need you." Sam all but sobbed, his red rimmed eyes finally meeting yours and you reached across the table, grasping his hand with yours, trying to give him some sort of comfort.

Sam was quiet, his eyes steady on yours as he listened to Dean on the other end of the line. His hand was tight on yours, but in one second his grip tightened painfully before he let go. You held back a sob as a single tear fell down his cheek. He patted his chest pocket, his eyes frantic.

"Paper?" He mouthed at you, and you pulled out the crumpled note that Dean had left behind at the motel. You snatched the pen from the waitress' tray, giving her an apologetic smile before handing it to Sam. He quickly wrote down an address before pulling the phone from his ear, staring at the screen with a heartbroken expression.

"Sam, what is it?" You asked him, your heart beating so fast you thought it might beat right out of your chest, your hands still shaking, your stomach rumbling with nerves. He glanced around before pulling a twenty out of his pocket.

"Not here." He said, his voice hoarse, as he tossed the bill onto the table before standing up. You quickly followed suit, your legs having a hard time keeping up with his long ones. You stopped to give the waitress her pen back, groaning when you noticed Sam was already out of the diner.

"Everything okay sweetie?" She asked you, a genuine look of concern on her wrinkled face.

"No." You said, your face crumpling. Her sweet and kind nature brought all your pain and heart ache to the brim.

She set the tray down and surprised you by pulling you into your embrace. "Now I don't know you, or whatever you may be going through. But things have a way of working themselves out. Just wait and see." She told you, before patting you on the back and letting you go.

"Thanks." You whispered, wiping the tears away from your cheeks. You appreciated the effort, but you had a feeling this was one of those things that wouldn't work itself out. But no matter what, you had to see it through to the end.

Sighing, you opened the door, hoping Sam hadn't decided to take off and leave you behind. He hadn't, his big frame was folded up behind the steering wheel, his head resting on the leather, and for a moment you wanted to march over to wherever Dean was and slap him. You knew he was going through a lot, more than either of you could ever imagine. But you hated all the turmoil he was putting you and his brother through. Especially Sam. Shaking your head at yourself as you made your way to the Impala, you knew you could never do that to Dean. No matter how much the two of you were hurting, he was too. You knew you would want to rush into his arms first, even though that could get you killed.

Sam's head didn't move when you opened the door and slid inside. "Sam?" You said, your voice trembling with nerves.

"He's given up." Sam said, his voice muffled by his hair.

"What? But how?" You asked, not sure if you were expecting that.

"He said he can't handle it anymore. The Mark is turning him into something he can't stand, and he's done." He said, looking your way, his eyes still red from unshed tears.

"But how? The Mark won't let him die!" You answered, even though you knew Dean had probably already figured a way around that.

"True. But he's said he's found a way. And he wants to say his goodbyes." Sam explained, and you sucked in a breath. You had never really imagined it would come down to this. You weren't ready to say goodbye to Dean yet. The two of you had been through so much lately. You just wanted the chance to go back to normal with him, to live as normal a life as two hunters could. But it looked like it wouldn't end that way.

Wiping a tear away, you realized how foolish you were being. Of course it wouldn't end that way. You and Dean were hunters, and nothing good ever happened to the two of you. Taking a deep, steadying breath, you gave Sam a small smile. It was more for his benefit than yours. "Well, I guess we better go say bye while we still have the chance."

He sucked in a breath, just as torn up about this as you were. "I can't believe this is really happening. I always thought he would be around. I mean I've lost him before. But he's always come back. I don't see that happening this time." He admitted.

"Sam, I know this is really hard, for both of us. But this is his decision. Can't we put a good front on, at least for a little while. Let him know he's going out with his family with him?" You said, and Sam nodded.

"Of course. I'm not going to let him do this alone." He said, turning the Impala on and pointing it out of town. The both of you were quiet, each one lost in thoughts of what was going to come.