(1) The Devil's Hybrid (D. Winchester)

Chapter Sixty-Two

A week later: Dean and Sam are lying on their beds, lifeless. The whooshing sound is heard and Sam's eyes open. He sucks in a huge breath and sits up in shock. He pants. The whooshing is heard again and Dean sits up on his bed. He coughs and looks down at his chest.

"You alright?" Sam asks.

"Define alright" Dean reaches over and picks up his cell phone. He stands up as he dials and his back is covered in blood from the exit wounds.

..............

Castiel, looking lost and without hope, leans against the divider while Dean and Sam pack up their gear in the background.

"Maybe... maybe Joshua was lying" The brothers look at him. Dean already has on his jacket; his bag is packed.

"I don't think he was, Cas. I'm sorry" Sam offers. Dean watches as Castiel moves into the entryway. Castiel looks up.

"You son of a bitch. I believed in..." Dean looks as if he wants to approach Castiel. Castiel searches above for any sign, anything... There is nothing. He turns back to the brothers, looking at Dean. He pulls the amulet from his pocket. "I don't need this anymore" Castiel tosses it to Dean who shakes it. "It's worthless" Castiel turns away.

"Cas. Wait" The sound of wings is heard and Castiel is gone. Sam tosses his shirt on the bed angrily. Dean hasn't looked up from the amulet in his hands. "We'll find another way. We can still stop all this, Dean" Dean finally looks up.

"How?"

"I don't know, but we'll find it. You and me, we'll find it" Dean doesn't look like he believes him and Sam knows it. Dean picks up his bag and walks past Sam without saying anything. He doesn't even look at Sam. At the door, he pauses and drops the amulet in the trash. He opens the door and leaves. Behind him, Sam takes a deep breath. He looks sad but determined.

....................

Dean crawls into Erika's bed and wraps his arms around her sleeping form, buries his head in her neck and takes a breath closing his eyes, Erika wakes and threads her fingers into his hair.
"Are you all right, love?" she asks, Dean shakes his head and holds onto her tighter. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks, he shakes his head again. "Okay," she whispers and strokes his hair. Dean clutches to her.

....................

Erika frowns as she walks into her bar, Lindsey shoots her a look and then looks to Castiel who sits at the end of the bar drinking, Erika moves to him and sits at his side.

"Hey, love, everything all right?" Castiel looks to her.

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asks, she raises an eyebrow.

"You're in my bar, and you're drinking top-shelf scotch" she answers pulling the glass away from him. Castiel pulls it back.

"My father doesn't care," Castiel tells her. "He doesn't care about the apocalypse, or Michael and Lucifer, or that my brothers and sisters are dying, he doesn't care," Castiel tells her.

"All right" she nods. "Well, you're going to need something stronger then that" she taps his glass. "Linds" Lindsey moves to them. "Two Hellraisers" Lindsey nods as Castiel looks to Erika.

"Hellraisers?" he asks, she looks to him and smirks.

"You're rebelling, Cas, drink like you are" she touches his arm. He looks to her she smiles reassuringly at him. He places his hand over hers.

"Thank you," he tells her as Lindsey sets two red drinks in front of them.

.............

Castiel appears in Sam and Dean's motel room, Sam turns to him.