Work Text:
“Dad!” Emma was barreling into Dean before he had a chance to gain his bearings. Not that he really had any bearings to work with anymore.
“Hey, Em.” Dean hugged his daughter most likely too tight, but she didn’t complain.
“Where’s Uncle Sammy?” Emma was craning her neck to look behind Dean.
Something almost cracked in Dean’s chest. He pushed it down with a swallow. “Your uncle is spending a few days with a friend.”
“Oh, okay.” Emma accepted the lie and Dean thanked whoever was out there.
“Where’s Cas?”
“He’s outside gardening.”
“Thanks, why don’t you go over pack a bag. We’re going to be heading over to Grandpa Bobby’s soon.” Dean kissed his daughter’s forehead before heading outside.
Cas was hunched over on his knees. Dirt was smeared around his nose and sweat shined from his brow. He looked stunning in the late morning sun. All Dean wanted to do was curl into a ball next to him and block out the world.
“Dean?” Cas was looking at him. Blue eyes full of worry.
“He-“ Dean swallowed harshly and rubbed a hand down his face. “Sam, I took my eyes off of him for one second and some- someone took him.”
“Oh, Dean.” Cas was on his feet and hugging Dean in an instant.
“Cas, he, demons, I…” Dean tried to keep his walls up.
“Shh.” Cas murmured gently. “We’ll find him. We’ll figure it out just like we always do.”
Dean allowed himself one extra moment to relish the comfort. Then he sniffed and stood, wiping at his eyes. He avoided Cas’ understanding eyes because he wasn’t sure if he could keep his composure if he looked at them.
“We’re headed to Bobby’s.”
“Of course.” Cas nodded and smeared his dirty hands on his jeans. “Give me five minutes to shower and change. Why don’t you and Emma eat lunch while I’m doing that?”
“I don’t know if-“ Dean was cut off by Cas’ sharp glare.
“You’re no good to Sam starved, Dean Winchester.” Cas kissed his cheek as he walked passed Dean into the house. “Have a sandwich.”
Five minutes and a sandwich later they were piled into Baby and on their way to Bobby’s.
They more or less barged into Bobby’s house. Thankfully, Cas explained the situation after Emma was ushered to go play outside. Dean didn’t think he could manage to say those words again.
Sam was gone.
Gone.
He had gone in to get food. Dean had lost sight of him for less than five minutes and he was gone. In the span of less than five minutes Dean had failed Sam. In turn he had failed his dad who had given him the mission to watch after Sammy. He had failed his daughter who had grown to love and rely on her uncle. He ha-
“Dean.” Cas’ voice cut through Dean’s thoughts. He realized his knuckle tight grip on the book he was holding. The same page glared up at him as it had the last however long.
Dean forced himself to inhale deeply before exhaling. His shoulders lost a small amount of their tension. It wasn’t much but it abled him to concentrate. Cas’ leg pressing up against his under the table helped a lot.
This was how the next two hours passed. Dean was able to strain his ears and hear Emma clambering around in the junk yard. Occasionally he would take a trip to see with with his own eyes that his daughter was okay through the window. Thankfully Emma was very good at entertaining herself, one good thing that came out of her terrible few years with her mother.
Dean was such a screw up, his brother was missing, his daughter was out playing by herself and not complaining like the perfect kid because he had to spend the next however long looking for his brother. And Dean was just sitting there reading book after book that just-
Dean slammed the book he was reading close. Cas and Bobby cut him a look, both grossly pitying. “I’m going to go check on Emma.”
He was fleeing the room before anyone could protest. He felt a pair of blue eyes stabbing at his back but he didn’t stop. The sun glared down at him as he escaped to the scrapyard. He shielded his eyes and scanned the piles of rusting cars for his daughter. Finally he spotted her perched on top of a large pile, sitting on the hood of an old Station-wagon.
He almost called her down, to get her feet back on the ground so gravity couldn’t have its way with her. Then he remembered Sam and him climbing the same car piles when they were younger. They never got too hurt just a few scrapes and bruises that kids got all the time. Sighing, he began climbing the pile.
“Hey, Dad.” Emma greeted him as he parked himself next to her.
“Hey, whatcha doing?” He followed her gaze where it was pinned to the horizon.
“Nothing.” She shrugged. “How’s the research going?”
He sighed and rubbed at his neck. “Slow.”
Silence passed. Emma seemed okay with it, it made Dean want to squirm. Breaking awkward silences was Dean’s specialty, he may not do it subtly but he did do it.
“I remember when Sam and I were little we used to play all over these things.” Dean patted the hood of the car they were sitting on. “It’s the best place for hide and seek”
Bobby’s was one of the few places they could be normal kids.
“Dad,” Emma started after a few beats of silence. Dean lost in his own head, snapped back with a hum of acknowledgment. “Uncle Sammy is in trouble isn’t he.”
It wasn’t a question, but Dean felt he was supposed to answer it anyway. “Yeah, sunshine, he is, but we’re going to get him back.”
“Okay.” Emma nodded, her head leaned into Dean. He put his arm around his daughter, all too happy to provide her comfort.
They sat up there for a while, until Dean’s ass began to remind him he wasn’t a kid anymore. “I’ve got to get back in there. Are you hungry? How about a snack?”
“I’m good.” Emma shrugged.
“Alright.” Dean kissed the top of her head before climbing back down.
As he went back inside Dean made a promise to himself: his daughter was done loosing people.
Not soon enough Dean and Bobby were on the road to Sam’s location. Cas was back home with Emma. Dean had needed Bobby’s knowledge of the lore with him and in all honesty he needed the older man’s grumpy steadiness. He couldn’t handle Cas’ knowing looks or trying to offer him any comfort. Cas hadn’t liked it, his blue eyes had flashed with protest but had nodded anyway.
Finally they were at the location. It was a ghost town, Dean only hoped it wasn’t full of actual ghosts. It was eery in the town. There was no noise, only the occasional creaking of the old buildings. They didn’t find any demons, but they didn’t find Sam either.
They turned a corner and came across the first person they had seen in the town. Strung up on the old building was who Dean could only assume was one of the other gifted kids like Sam. They couldn’t have been dead for more than a day, Dean only hoped that meant there was still time to save Sam.
“Dean,” Bobby started as they continued walking. “We don’t know what we’re walking into here-“
“Bobby-“ Bobby had grabbed hold of Dean’s jacket and brought him to a halt.
“No, you listen, boy.” Dean snapped his mouth tight and glared at the dirt. “We might not like what we find, but you can’t check out. You’ve got a little girl, you’ve got a family that needs you, alright?”
“I’m not losing my brother.” Dean growled out. “So stop talking like he’s dead.”
He ripped himself from Bobby’s grip and kept walking.
The sun was beginning to set. A chill was settling over the ghost town. Dean didn’t want to admit it, but deep down there was a part of him where dread was starting to form. He locked that down before it had a chance to spread. He needed his head clear. Dean tightened his grip on his sawed off.
They rounded another corner. Then, there he was. “Sam!”
“Dean!” He was clutching his arm, but he was alive.
Then a shadow moved behind his brother. “Sam, look out!”
Dean began running. Bobby was hot on his heels. They were almost there, but so was the other man-
Crack.
A gunshot went off and the world held still.
Dean froze.
Then the man behind Sam fell.
Sam looked behind him. Dean couldn’t see his expression, but he broke the spell and ran the rest of the way to his brother.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again, you hear me?” Dean pulled Sam in for a tight hug.
“I’ll do my best.” He could practically see Sam roll his eyes.
“Let me see.” Dean held Sam away at arms length and began inspecting what he could see. “Where are you hurt?”
“I think my shoulder, but I’m okay.” Dean cupped Sam’s neck and looked into his eyes. He didn’t seem to have a concussion. “I’m okay.”
“You scared the hell out of me, you bitch.” Dean pulled Sam close again into a hug.
“At least I’m not a jerk.” Sam hugged Dean back as tight as he could with his one arm.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Cas. He looked a little sheepish and a hand gun was in his hand. Dean looked down over Sam’s shoulder and saw the man who had been after Sam. He had a knife held loosely in his limb hand and a bullet hole through the side of his head.
Carefully, Dean pulled away from Sam and walked over to his boyfriend. Cas picked at his sleeve and didn’t meet Dean’s eyes.
“Funny seeing you here.” Dean drawled.
“Emma is at an impromptu sleepover. I told Caroline it was a family emergency and she said it was no trouble.” Cas explained quickly. “You needed me tonight, here. I couldn’t-“
Dean cut Cas off with a kiss. He held the back of Cas’ neck close as he kissed all his thanks and love into the one kiss. With it, something solidified in his mind. It was an idea that had been around since Sam mentioned it months ago, now Dean knew what he wanted.
“Hey, if we’re done feeling out feelings can we get the hell out of here.” Bobby gruffed. “Get Sam to a hospital.”
“I don’t need a hospital, we’ve got bigger problems.” Sam shook his head. “We’ve got a sling somewhere I can-“
“We’re getting you checked out.” Dean cut Sam a sharp look. The fear of almost loosing his brother was still swimming inside of him, that and the adrenaline, Dean was practically a live wire still.
They began making their way out of the ghost town. Sam filled them in on the crazy that happened. Dean couldn’t believe how crazy their lives had become. People with superhuman abilities, demons, hell, it was all nuts.
“Cas, you mind if I catch a ride with you. I want to get to the library before dawn. I think they got something that might help us with this Azazel guy.”
“Of course.” Cas nodded before turning to Dean. “I’ll see you at home.”
Cas gave him a short kiss before heading over to his car. “Hey, Cas!” Dean called after him before jogging over. “Thank you.”
Dean kissed Cas again. He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if Cas hadn’t shown up. His breath hitched at the thought.
“Shh, it’s okay now.” Cas hugged him close for a moment. “I love you, and I’ll see you again in a few hours.”
“I love you too.”
Dean stole one more kiss before joining Sam by the impala. His brother was staring off into the ghost town. An odd expression was on his face. Dean was almost too afraid to ask about it.
“You okay, dude?” Dean asked, almost dreading the answer, they were in the clear right?
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Sam shook his head, and with it the expression fell from his face. He looked tired. “Just thinking this was a close one is all.”
“Yeah, but we all came out okay, so don’t hurt yourself thinking too hard on the what if’s .” Dean said maybe more to himself than Sam.
“You’re right.” Sam nodded.
“O’course I am.” Dean slapped Sam’s good arm. “Come on, let’s get you to a hospital.”
They got in the impala and Dean put as much distance as he could between them and the ghost town along with all that could have been.
They couldn’t relax yet, Dean reminded himself. They still had the Yellow Eyed Demon, Azazel, to kill. But for the first time in a long while, Dean could see the light at the end of tunnel. The end was closer than ever before.