Standing Outside the Fire

58

"I -- don't..." Sam began.

Francesca looked at him worriedly. "Days, Sam. It's been three days."

Dean pulled out a thermometer and Sam frowned. "When'd you get that?"

"When you started throwing off heat waves," Dean answered. "Here."

Sam threw the blanket aside and stood up, stumbling. "Enough, Dean, Frankie. Please."

Francesca frowned at Sam. "Come on. The bloody handkerchiefs, the fever, the shaky legs... this isn't good."

Sam looked up at her. "Well, I'm not good. And I'm not going to be good until we can start moving again. Until I can start the third trial."

"Trial?" Dean repeated. "Frankie and I wouldn't let you start a moped. We're on the rails with this thing, okay, and the only way out of it is through it, believe me, I know. And you know how bad we wanna slam the door on all those sons of bitches. But you gotta let us take care of you, man. You gotta let us help you get your strength back."

"This isn't a cold. Or a fever, or whatever it is you're supposed to feed. This is part of it all. Those first two trials... they're not just things I did. They're doing something to me. They're changing me, Dean, Frankie."

Dean's phone buzzed and he pulled it out. The screen read 'New Email from Kevin Tran'. "It's Kevin."

"Finally," Francesca mumbled.

Dean opened Kevin's message on the laptop. 'WATCH THIS VIDEO NOW'. He clicked the link and the video message played.

"Sam, Dean, Frankie. I've set up this message with some software on a remote server so it'd send itself to you if I didn't reset it with a command once a week. Which means I didn't reset it this week. And there's only one reason I wouldn't. Which means if you're watching this, then I... then I-I'm dead. I'm dead, you bastards! So screw you, screw God, and everybody in between!" There was a beat. "Crowley must've gotten to me. And the one thing I know is that I won't break this time. Not sure how I know, but -- but I do. I've been uploading all my notes, the transitions, I'm sending you the links so you can get all of it. You guys are gonna have to try to figure out the rest. I'm sorry." He teared up. "I know it was my job, but I -- but I couldn't..." there was another beat, "I'm sorry."

Dean angrily swiped a stack of books from the table. "Damnit!"

The twins began crying at the loud sound and Francesca let out a sigh.

LATER

They gathered back in the library.

Sam printed out Kevin's notes while Dean was on the phone. Francesca had Talia under a nursing cloth, feeding him.

"Yeah, I know you haven't seen him," Dean said. "Keel, nobody has. All right, well, if you talk to Garth, well, just have to call him in. Yeah." He hung up.

"Garth still MIA?" Francesca asked.

"Yeah."

"How about the other prophets in line?" Sam wondered. "I mean if Kevin is, uh... is dead, then won't one of them be activated?"

"Nothing, no, not a peep. Here we are. No lead, no tablet, squat."

"Well, I mean, we got all this." Sam picked up a stack of notes.

Francesca let out a sigh. "We should've moved him."

INT. BIGGERSON'S RESTAURANT - DAY

Castiel sat at one of the tables, looking at his watch.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

A waitress, Kara, came up and refilled his coffee cup.

"I guess I've been acquiring the taste," Castiel said.