The Rift [Daryl Dixon]

We Need To Talk About Jack

It had been weeks. Weeks on end without a single sign of Emma nor the Nephilim with her. This had nearly driven Dean to madness. Sam was in no better condition than his brother.

Dean had been trying to find Gabriel after Lucifer took him away. Essentially kidnapping him.

He was upset he didn't get his way so he took Gabriel the first moment the brothers looked away. He knew they needed his grace, either of them could be of use to open that rift, so if they wanted to get Emma back, they would call. Lucifer had them just where he wanted.

While trying to get his mind off the elephant in the room, Dean buried himself in work. He would spend day and night searching for new cases so he could feel useful even if it was only for a moment. But it was nothing more than a façade to masquerade the anger, frustration and pain he felt inside as he was still unable to save his own sister.

The hope within the Winchester brothers was running thin, until one night, a miracle occurred.

Sam watched the rain drops on the windshield of the car, following the path it created as it slid down from the top of the cristal to the very bottom, disappearing onto the hood of the Impala. Dean, however, squeezed the wheel tightly as he stepped on the pedal. There was hope still in him, and a growing anticipation. So strong he could barely keep it together. Yet he was skeptical.

The car stopped right in front of a public phone booth as the boys stared at the familiar figure in disbelief. Sam and Dean stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to the angel they thought was gone for good. "Cas, is that really you?" Dean asked.

The angel simply nodded. He was as confused as them, but also fascinated. He was alive.

"No. You're dead." Sam stumbled over his words, incredulous.

"Yeah, I was." Cas agreed. He took a couple steps towards the brothers, sensing the mistrust irradiating off them. "But then I annoyed an ancient cosmic being so much that he sent me back." That was definitely their Cas, Dean thought.

"I don't know what to say." The gloomy night didn't help Sam's suspicions, neither the emotions he was currently experiencing, but somewhere in there, Sam found hope. If Castiel could come back from the dead by something that could only match God's power, then Emma could come back home too.

Dean walked forward. "I know. Welcome home, pal." He said, as he hugged his dear friend.

Sam imitated his brother's actions after Dean stepped back. "How long was I gone?" Cas asked.

"Too damn long." Dean said sincerely.

"Where were you? In Heaven?" Wondered Sam, sharing a confused look with Dean.

"No. I was in the empty." The angel declared.

"Really?"

"Apparently, it's where angels and demons go when they die."

"What was it like?" Sam asked.

"It's dark and... nothing. It's like nothing." Cas looked down at the grass beneath him. Sam and Dean deducted that his time there wasn't pleasant, neither hopeful. It was more like torture and loneliness. Complete isolation that would drive even the sanest man absolutely bunkers. "I was sleeping, and then I heard a voice that said my name. I saw something. It was dark and humid. I talked to the voice a couple times when it called my name. I never got to see whoever it was. It was like I was in its mind, but then... Something happened. Something scared it and the connection was lost. I heard it scream, then I woke up. I know I saw more. I know I know more, but I can't remember. At first, I thought it was you that had done something."

"No." Dean quickly denied. "We didn't even think we could do something to bring you back."

"So, who was it?" Sam questioned the two men in front of him. "Chuck? Uh... God?"

"No." Castiel said, remembering what the empty had told him. "God has no power in the empty."

"Well, then who does?" Dean asked.

It was Sam that figured out the only thing that could match, perhaps squash God's power, was a Nephilim. Specially from an Archangel as strong as Lucifer himself. "Jack."

Dean considered it for a moment, but shortly shook his head no. "No way. The kid isn't even in this universe. How could he?"

Sam took in his words but didn't agree with him completely. "Such a powerful and under-studied creature could do some stuff we don't even think possible. Besides, if not him, who?"

"What do you mean he's not even in this universe?" Cas inquired.

✡️

Emma woke up early in the morning by the sudden change in temperature. She knew Daryl had dozed off the night before. She had barely heard him the whole night. Nevertheless, she felt him move insatiably. More than once she wanted to wake him up in case he was having a nightmare, but she didn't dare disturb his sleep.

Now it was her that moved uncontrollably. She was shivering like a chihuahua. It was freezing outside and the cold, humid, grass and atmosphere that surrounded the thin fabric of the tent wasn't helpful to her situation.

Emma rolled around and got closer to Daryl. Under the sheets, she wrapped her arm around his waist. She could hear his heart beating and his shallow breathing. She felt him reach around her side after a minute and knew he had been awake for a while. "Thought you were asleep." She said.

"Had some awful dreams last night. Didn't want to fall asleep again, but I didn't want to wake you. So I stayed put." He declared in a very husky voice.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked, her blue eyes examining his bare torso while her fingers drew invisible circles on his skin.

Daryl remained silent for a moment. He thought it was probably for the worse to tell her how Jack's screams hunted him. There was terror and true fear in his shaky voice when Daryl was pulling him up. He had never seen him so scared in his life. It made him think. Why if he ever lost him? What if next time, he doesn't get there soon enough? What if he's not around to save him?

"Nah."