Babysitting

"How long has he been out now?" Dean's gruff voice rumbles deep inside of his chest, large boots stomping against the concrete as he makes his way into the panic room. (y/n), sitting in the wooden chair she pulled up next to the small bed, turns to face the man. She meets his candy apple green eyes, anxiety ridden and bloodshot from stress.

"Dean, you left for 5 minutes, nothing changed..." She begins gently, knowing she needs to be sensitive during this time for him ,"You should really get some rest, I can watch him-"

"I'm not leaving my brother with some monster freak!" It takes him a minute to process what he had just said, eyes glancing over to her and seeing the hurt expression she tries to hide. He sighs lightly, running a hand through his dirty blonde locks

"I'm sorry" He apologies sincerely.

"I get it, Dean-" (y/n) leans back into her chair, arms crossing themselves over her chest ,"-you don't like me. If you want me to leave, then I can go, alright?"

"(y/n)-" he lets out a frustrated sigh, hesitant to continue as he stares down at his brother ,"-This is just the worst time for you to be here, okay? I don't know how to feel about you yet...All I know is that Sam liked you and he needs help. Please...Stay and help us."

There's a moment of silence between the pair, each of them taking turns to look upon Sam, body lifeless as it lays against the striped mattress. Dean was desperate to get his brother back, helpless in the situation, and needed to let out some of his frustration. (y/n) needed to remind herself that he wasn't angry with her, he was just angry in general. She couldn't take it personally. Nodding slowly she offers Dean a small smile, reassuring in nature as she meets his eyes

"I'll help"

"Anything new?" Bobby's deep voice interrupts their tender moment, the pair awkwardly clearing their throats as they watch the older man walk into the room. (y/n) shakes her head, soft fingers running themselves through her (h/c) locks

"Nothing" She replies solemnly

"I can't just sit here, Bobby-" Dean begins, his voice growing in volume as he turns to speak to the man

"Dean-"

"I've got to help him!"

"Dean-"

"You know, 'Dreamscape' his noggin, something!"

"Dean!" Bobby finally interrupts him, dark eyes watching Dean carefully as he paces around the bed ,"You know what Cas did. The dam inside your brothers head is gone and all hell's spilling loose. We don't know what's going on inside"

"I don't care!" Dean spits, words laced with anger ,"We have got to do something!"

"And we will" Bobby responds calmly, the way a father would to a child throwing a tantrum, "But, right now, we got 16 hours till they pop purgatory. I'm down one man, Dean. I can't afford to be down two"

"Yeah?" Dean challenges, a bitter smile pulling at his pink lips ,"-And how's that going, huh? We've got no line on Crowley, we've got no line on Cas, and Balthazar's M.I.A! I mean all we've got is a Phoenix and Sam, who's going through whatever the hell this is!"

Bobby stays silent, body moving towards a small desk near the corner. (y/n) and Dean watch as the older man flips over 3 glass cups and pours in some liquor into each. The amber liquid sloshes against the sides. (y/n) speaks up, voice quiet as she tries to make sure she's not overstepping her boundaries.

"It seems like he wants to distract you, keep you occupied so he can do the spell without any interruptions." She begins, eyeing the two men as they watch her continue ,"He's expecting you to stay close to Sam, but Sam's not going anywhere...Go after Castiel, stop him from opening those doors, and make him fix your brother."

"She's right-" Bobby responded with a sigh, handing the pair a glass of the strong smelling liquid ,"-What good are we to him here? Sam would have wanted us to go after Cas, so let's hike up our bootstraps and find where the son of a bitch is."

Clinking their glasses together, they turn to her expectantly. (e/c) eyes widening slightly, she clears her throat quietly before raising her own glass into their direction. Without saying anything, they all then bring their drinks up to their lips. (y/n)'s nose scrunches up slightly at the strong taste burning at her tongue and throat. Holding the glass loosely between her fingers, her gaze lands upon the man barely able to fit on top of the iron framed mattress in the middle of the room. Watching his chest rise and fall shakily, she prays to whatever higher power out there that he'll be okay.

-----------A few hours later--------------

"Look what the cat dragged in" Snapping their heads towards the open cell door, (y/n) and Dean watch as Bobby leads a man towards the room. He's shorter than Bobby, but looks to be about the same age. (y/n) doesn't recognize him, but glancing over at the man sitting beside her, she can tell that Dean does. Standing up from his seat, Dean furrows his eyebrows as the man approaches.

"Well-" The man begins, bright blue eyes scanning the small panic room with a playful smirk ,"-at least you mudfish finally got the angel-proofing right."

When his eyes finally land on the girl leaning back in her chair, he studies her for a moment, amusement evident in his eyes. She shrinks slightly upon the intense gaze, but maintains a confident stare

"A Phoenix?" He asks, watching as she nods slowly ,"What a beautiful little bird you are, how interesting...Balthazar, and you are?"

"(y/n)-" Dean suddenly comes from the side to interrupt, blocking Balthazar's view protectively.

"Enough with the flirting-" Dean glances over his shoulder at the girl, almost as if asking if she was okay, before turning back to the man before him ,"-what the hell took you so long?

"Honestly?" Balthazar's expression suddenly turns serious, eyes never leaving Dean's ,"I was having second thoughts"

"About?"

"About whether to help you. I was thinking maybe...maybe I should rip out your sticky bits instead"

"And what did you decide?" Bobby asks cautiously, pulling Dean back slowly as they both stare at Balthazar through narrowed eyes. (y/n) watches the scene carefully, readying herself for anything that could happen.

"Well..." Balthazar sighs lightly, yanking out a small folded up piece of paper out of his coat pocket ,"Cas and Crowley are there. That's where the show gets started."

Handing the paper over, Balthazar watches as Dean unfolds it hastily. Showing the messy handwriting to Bobby, they both share a knowing look. Shoving the address into his own pocket, Dean begins to leave the panic room

"Give us a minute to pack up and then zap us there-"

"Oh, no, no, no, no-" Balthazar is quick to interrupt ,"-I don't think so"

"Balthazar!" Dean warns, green eyes narrowing as he stares the man down.

"I'm betraying a friend here-" Balthazar defends himself, nostrils flaring in frustration as he continues ,"-a very powerful friend, we all are! So I think I've stuck my neck out far enough already. Good luck"

Faster than it takes to snap your fingers, Balthazar disappears, a light gust of wind breezing past the group as they all search for any trace of the man there just a second ago. A haunting silence falls upon the 3 as they get lost in their own thoughts. This was it. The moment like many others in which Bobby and Dean needed to save the world. (y/n) watched in admiration as the two shared a look of determination between them, fire igniting inside their eyes. Turning around, Dean motions to his brother still lying motionless in his bed

"(y/n)-" Dean's voice is authoritative, but vulnerable as he continues ,"-I need you to stay here. Watch him. If anything happens to my brother, I swear to god-"

"I'll take care of him, Dean. I know we just met, but I promise...I'll look after him" (y/n) quickly interrupts, offering him a reassuring smile. She watches as he sighs, shoulders relaxing slightly when he hears those words and the sincerity behind them.

"Dean-" Bobby warns quietly, hands rustling restlessly inside of a navy green duffel bag as he fills it with supplies ,"-we have to get a move on"

"Just a second..." Dean slowly makes his way forward, eyes never leaving his brother's face as he leans down beside the girl. (y/n) watches quietly as he yanks out the piece of paper he stuffed into his pocket earlier, rough fingers grasping at the tattered ends lightly

"This is where we're going to be, Sam-" He begins to talk directly to his brothers lifeless body, voice desperate as he continues ,"-so you better get your lazy ass out of bed and come meet us...Sammy, please"

When his voice echoes around the room, silence the only thing that answers back, he shuts his eyes momentarily. Letting out a shaky breath, he extends his hand over to (y/n) who's been sitting beside him, watching his every move.

"What should I do with this?" (y/n) asks quietly, fingertips grazing his as she gently takes the paper from his grasp

"Give this to him when he wakes up-" He explains, standing up from his kneeling positions ,"-if he doesn't...meet us there in a few hours."

"Okay"

"Hold onto this too" Reaching into the back of his pants, Dean pulls out a silver pistol. The small handgun glistens beneath the pale yellow light as he carefully passes it to her. She grabs it gingerly, fingertips warm on top of the frigid metal.

"This is Sam's, right?" He nods, glancing over at Bobby who stands impatiently in the doorway, ready to go

"You ever shoot a gun?"

"No" she answers honestly and she sees him smile for the first time in hours. It was tiny, but it was enough.

"Yeah, well hopefully you won't have to" Bobby suddenly tosses one of the bags he was carrying to Dean who catches it easily.

"Don't burn the house down while we're gone" Bobby teases lightly, expertly covering up the anxiety crawling across his skin. The pair of men turn to walk out of the panic room, bodies disappearing down the dimly lit hallway. The sound of their boots growing fainter with every step they take. Watching their muddled forms melt into the shadows, (y/n) finds herself worrying. She didn't think she'd get attached to the men so easily, but here she was...Filled with dread for what's to come. That's what she gets for spending almost her whole life alone and in hiding. Hearing the faint sound of the low growl of the impala, she finds herself staring up at the ceiling

"Good luck"