𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 ❂ j. kline

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

DEAR JACK,
People have been telling me you're evil.
Anyone who is good would know you're not.
I will always see greatness in you.
Never will I doubt you again.

❂

SAM HAD BEEN STUCK IN A CONVERSATION THAT WAS STRICTLY DEAD END. Dean Winchester had resent Jack before he had even met him and was set on not changing his mind on what he thought of the boy. Jerking his thumb behind him, both him and his brother took a look in that direction.

Both Rose and Jack had taken a seat upon a bench outside the police station with eyes locked on their laps. With a small glance up to Rose nervously, Jack felt comfortable taking his chances as he had scooted closer to her. Whipping back to his brother, Dean pointed right to Sam's chest. "Stop him before I kill him."

Scoffing, Sam pushed his brothers finger back down in annoyance and leaned back onto the Impala. "Look, I talked to Rose about everything. He seems okay to her."

"Oh, yeah and she's so easy to trust," Dean mumbled, taking a spot beside his brother. Bringing up the past had always been Dean's go-to when things did not seem to be going his way. This always upset Sam and his forgiving heart. Holding a grudge had been so difficult for him, especially when it had come to family. "That's not fair to her."

"No," he said flatly.

"No?"

"You heard me."

"Dean, she just lost Crowley. As much as you pretend he wasn't— that's her dad. Right now, she's trying to help. If they're getting along, I really don't see the issue. She could get him to come back with us. Which, we need because you've scared him enough."

Rolling his eyes, Dean felt that the entire world was against him, even his own brother. "I scared him? He threw us to a wall, man! What part of son of Lucifer sits right with you?"

"You know what, you can be angry about everything going on but you can't take it out on him. Or Rose."

Standing up off the Impala, many thoughts had raced through his head. There was a moment he had been struck with guilt but that idea was soon ditched the moment he had felt the sting in his knuckles. Praying had seemed like a long shot, yet that had not stopped him from taking it out on himself for not being able to get anyone back home to them. No matter how hard he had beaten a sign when his prayers weren't answered, it had never taken away the pain he had felt.

"Get the kids," he instructed while digging out his keys from his pocket. Not bothering to wait for Sam and the two on the bench, Dean hopped into the drivers seat, already blasting his music to hopefully drown out his emotions. Something he had failed miserably at.

❂

A FUNERAL FOR THOSE THEY HAD LOST HAD BEEN UNDERWAY BACK AT THE HOUSE KELLY HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO JACK. Dean Winchester has chosen to be left alone, standing off to the side as he wiped the blood from his knuckles. An empty look had sat in his eyes as he had realized that the world around him was a lot less brighter after they had lost so much.

It hadn't mattered how hard she had fought herself to show no emotion, Rose felt tears springing to her eyes at the thought of those they had lost. Crowley had sacrificed himself for the greater good even though the rest of the night had only brought them much more pain.

It had felt unfair that all those that had went up against Lucifer had all seemed to be pulling the short straw at life. Nothing had felt fair in the slightest bit. All Rose could do was, unlike Dean Winchester who had prayed, she blamed God and Death for everything that had been thrown at them just last night. Chuck had spoken highly of the Winchesters, yet whenever they had needed him the most, he would disappear off the face of the universe.

The sadness in her had completely shut off as anger began to step in. None of it was right. Jack had promised his mother, Castiel and Rose all a better world and none of that had seemed to come. In fact, it had only felt worse.

Upset with the look on Roses face, Jack had swallowed all his nerves. Quickly brushing his sweaty palms off on his jacket, he had prepped himself to go and talk to her himself. He had taken notes from Sam back in the cell, remembering how he had hugged her and spoke softly and that had caused her to smile. Deep in him, he knew he could do that too. It was the least her could do.

Prepared to head off in her direction, he had soon been stopped short as an arm had cut off his path. "Give her some time," Sam whispered to him, "She needs it."

"But she's sad."

Shaking his head, Sam signaled for Jack to not act on his good judgement. He had feared that in this scenario, it was the worst thing one could do for her. If she had needed someone, he was certain she would go to the person that she wanted the most.

Standing up, Rose looked over to the boys with a forced smile before turning over to head back to the Impala. The funeral had been short but felt as if it had lasted the entire night. It was painful to sit in silence, stuck in her own head on how there was much more that could've been done to stop all that was going on around her. And with each step away from the burning pile of wood, she had told herself that this was a step to move forward and to push through as they always did. It's what had to be done.

Dean Winchester leaned up against the hood of his car, taking a long swig of his flask. A drink wasn't enough to take away the pain but it had been just enough to numb him for the moment.

Pushing himself up from the sight of Rose approaching, he held his flask out to her. Unfortunately, she had felt that there wasn't ever going to be enough to numb how she had felt. Rejecting his offer, she went to open the door to the Impala before Dean shut it back the second it cracked open.

Ready to speak up against Dean, he did the one thing that he wanted to do without the presence of Jack or even his own brother, Sam. Wrapping his arms around the girl, he let out a sigh of air when he felt her arms wrap back up around him. No words exchanged, just the comfort of being with one another.

There was always the guilt that he had been feeling when he placed blame on Rose for what had happened or that she was fine around Jack. He had wanted her to act just as he did, angry with the world and make it known that it was either time to burn it down or time to fight against it. But she was silent. She had pushed through just as Castiel or Mary would have wanted. This embrace had meant something more to him than he could admit. For this brief moment, his anger had been pushed aside and the sorrow he had felt had unleashed in a much more healthy way. Holding on tighter, he shut his eyes tight wishing that they never had to be here tonight.