The Choice (Dean Winchester, Supernatural)

Chapter 3

"Sam? Is that true?" Dean said incredulously looking between him and Castiel.

"I have no idea, ever since hell I've been different, yeah, but I hunt better so I ignored it. If it is true, we can't do anything about it anyway." says Sam in response, his face impassive, free of all emotion. Dean practically ignored this last statement and addressed Cas "What can we do Cas? Can we get his soul back?"

Castiel sighed loudly looking at Dean, and eventually responded with "I honestly don't know, In all my time I've never seen anything like this. Getting him out of Lucifer's Cage was much harder than getting you out of Peridition Dean, and I must have - well I didn't mean to...." Cas paused, and looked at both of them worriedly, sounding as unsure of himself as Cas could be.

"I must have, er, left his soul behind. In the Cage. With Lucifer."

At this Dean's mouth dropped open and Sam's expression didn't change. At all.

"I am deeply sorry" Continued Cas, breaking the shocked silence his words had caused. "Yeah, no that's okay." Dean replied clearly still in shock from the news. 'Sammy has no soul' he thought, processing everything 'Sammy is not Sammy.'

Whoosh, and Cas was gone. Dean slowly sank onto the bed. "So she's alive?" he whispered, just loud enough for Sam to hear. There was a moment of silence and Sam said, in an angry voice "Yes. She is." At this Dean exploded, all the pent up rage at his brother let out

"Just YES? DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT DANI MEANS TO ME? SHE WAS THERE FOR ME, EVEN WHEN YOU AND DAD WEREN'T! SO DON'T JUST FUCKING SIT THERE AND TELL ME YES! GODDAMN IT SAM, YOU SOULLESS SON OF A BITCH! TELL ME WHY! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, HUH SAM? FREAKING WHY?"

Dean walked over to the open window, taking deep breaths to calm himself down, all the repressed emotions rising up. He hung his head, sighed and said, his voice trembling "Where is she?"

"I don't know"

3 MILES WEST

She flipped over the man, well not a man per se, and sliced his arm in the process. The skin around the wound began to bubble and blister.

The woman smiled, and whispered "Got you now." In a flash the silver blade was in his back and he was on the floor, screaming. One last twitch and he was gone. Danielle stood up, looking down at the motionless body "And that is what you get for interrupting my dinner bastard." She turned and ran into the diner, all the waitresses and customers standing shellshocked around the body of the chef. Danielle looked down at the unfortunate victim with sadness, yet anger in her eyes. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." she said quietly to the unnamed victim.

"What was that?"

"What the HELL?"

"Who are you?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

Dani sighed, and so the questions begin. 'Its amazing' she thought 'that humans can still talk and talk, even when they're scared out of their goddamn minds!'

"SHUT UP!" She yelled over the babbling voices throwing questions at her and each other. "Look, the police are gonna be here in a few minutes so either get the hell out of here, or listen to me. Do not tell them what you actually saw. Understand? Do not tell the truth unless you want to end up in the loony bin for the rest of your life. Come up with a story, a murderer, a robbery gone wrong, whatever! So as long as its not the truth. Ok?"

There was a general nodding and murmurs of "Yes" and "Ok". Then, a pause and one voice rose above the silence. "Who are you?" Danielle looked the waitress straight in the eye and said:

"Honey, believe me, You don't want to know.."

3 MILES EAST

Sam didn't understand.

Why didn't Dean see?

It was better this way. He was better this way.

If it came down to it he would fight, he didn't want his soul back.

Suddenly he collapsed to the ground, pain shooting through his head, stabbing feelings in his gut, red everywhere.

And then it stopped. And he thought nothing of it.

Dean walked in, holding all of his phones (seven to be exact) "Nothing! She must have changed all her numbers! I've let Bobby know what's going on, and when I told him it wasn't true he said something about stabbing you repeatedly so I'd watch out."

Stabbing. A bit like the pain he had just felt.

He still said nothing. Why should he tell Dean? He'd automatically assume something was wrong (apart from the soulless thing) and freak out!

"Sam?" Dean inquired "You look like crap."

Sam supposed he should answer.

"I'm fine, everything's fine." He heard Dean scoff "Apart from the lack of a soul. I'm gonna keep looking for her."

Sam processed everything very quickly. Dean was looking for Danielle. Dean didn't trust him because he had caused this situation, so he should do something to regain his trust.

And the idea came.

"Dean, you're looking for Danielle, right?" He nodded "I have her number" and Sam held up his phone.

The look on Dean's face was priceless. Even worth the yelling that came afterwards.

Maddi xx