I Can't Do This Without You

Goodbye, Cas

Dean raced into the abandoned warehouse... To see himself, holding Cas in.... An embrace? Dean watched as the shifter brought his knife up to Cas' neck.

"Don't move, or your pretty boy here gets it!"

Dean hesitated. Cas was human now, and the bone blade could very easily kill him.

"Shoot him, Dean! We did not part friends, you owe me nothing!" Cas blurted out, before the demon clamped her hand over his mouth.

Cas' eyes commanded Dean to shoot.

As the trigger clicked and his gun let out a bang, the shifter sliced across Cas' jugular.

Dean rushed to Cas, who staggered a few steps and fell into his arms. Dean, struggling with his weight, gripped him by the elbows.

"It's okay, Dean. We both knew this was never going to work." Cas sighed, his blood gurgling out of his throat.

"Don't you dare leave me here, Cas! We still have a world to save. I- I can't do it without you." Dean's voice broke.

Cas smiled, a little sadly. "This would have... Been enough." He reached up and lightly brushed his hand across Dean's cheek, then dropped it again.

It was then that Sam came through the door. Dean was reminded of another time Sam was too late.

~

Dean was acting moodier than usual. Sam decided to bring it up on the road.

"What's going on, Dean?"

Dean glanced at his brother.

"That little girl died because I didn't shoot fast enough. What do you think is going on?"

Sam looked his brother in the eye. "That wasn't your fault. I should've gotten there faster."

"It's just... How many more godforsaken graves do we have to visit, how many more friends do we have to lose, Sammy?"

Sam was taken aback by Dean's emotional outburst.

"I don't know, Dean. But we have to protect those we have left." He said carefully.

"Who's that? Cas? Everyone else is dead." The last word was unfeeling and cold.

Sam didn't answer.

~

Sam looked horrified. "Cas. Is he...?" He broke off, as Dean gave him a hard look.