Pretty, Reckless, Winchester

XVIII. Brothers in Arms

[Road Trip]

[You can either listen to this song or The Famous Final Scene by Bob Seger, the song that plays; the scene as below, with Dean, is at the end. Both songs capture the emotion of this episode, I feel.]

Dean stood near Kevin's pyre as his body burned. Holly stood near Nate's grave. She had insisted on having him buried, and Dean wasn't about to object.

They made their way back to the bunker and Holly went off to her room.

Dean stood in the library, looking at the floor where Kevin had died. His gaze turned to the table. Kevin's books and notes laid open. There was a plate with a half-eaten sandwich and an empty glass of milk. Dean picked up Kevin's phone and he lit up the screen to see a picture of Kevin and his mom. His face dropped and he fought back tears as he touched the phone to his forehead.

Something inside him exploded. He threw the phone against the wall with all his strength and swept the table, sending everything flying to the floor. He shoved the lamp off the table and slung a heavy chair across the room. He leaned on the table, feeling white anger, then despair.

Holly, meanwhile, was in her room. She was sitting at the foot of her bed. She stood up and started throwing books and whatever small items she could find. She slammed her lamp to the ground and fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Holly made her way into the main room and she and Dean shared a look before they started packing in silence.

"Dean. Holly." Cas said.

They looked up to see Cas and Dean commented, "Cas. Now, look at you, all suited up and back in the game."

"I, um...I came as soon as you two called. I wa--"

Cas stopped, noticing the broken lamp on the floor. His eyes followed the strewn books and papers and the broken chair. "Dean, Holly, what happened?"

Dean and Holly stopped their packing and look at Cas with pained expressions, showing the emotion they were feeling. They sat down at the table.

"Sammy was dying." Dean said. "What was I supposed to do? What were she and I supposed to do?"

Holly looked down. "He said it was the only way, and we believed him. Now Sam's gone. Nate's...Kevin's..."

"Dean, Holly, I'm sorry."

Dean pursed his lips. "Yeah, well...Sorry don't pay the bills, does it? It sure as hell ain't gonna bring Kevin or Nate back. We got to find that son of a bitch."

"Dean. Holly. If the angel possessing Sam isn't Ezekiel, then who is it?"

"A dead man walking." Holly retorted.

"What, you're gonna destroy him?"

"Damn right." Dean and Holly said.

"You kill an angel, its vessel dies, too."

Dean glared. "Think we don't know that? If we don't end Sam and that halo burns him out and she and I...God, we were so damn stupid."

"You were stupid for all the right reasons."

"Yeah, like that matters." Holly mumbled.

"It does. Sometimes that's all that matters." Cas looked between them. "Listen to me. Sam is strong. If he knew an angel was possessing him, he could fight. He could cast the angel out."

"Maybe." Dean said. "But as far as I know, he's in the dark. I don't know how we clue him in."

"Do you two remember Alfie?"