"I guess whoever built the box didn't want us in there any more than we did," Dean shrugged.
"What does that mean?" Sam asked.
"We're here, okay?"
"What about Cass? Was he there?"
I shifted uncomfortably and Dean turned his back to Sam as he spoke.
"Yeah, Cass didn't make it."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"Something happened to him down there. Things got pretty hairy towards the end, and he... just let go."
"So Cass is dead? You saw him die?"
"We saw enough."
"So, then what, you're not sure?"
I swallowed hard as Dean turned back to Sam with a hard expression.
"I said we saw enough, Sam," he growled.
"Right," Sam took an involuntary step back. "Guys, I'm sorry."
"Us too. So you- I can't believe you're actually here," Dean grabbed two more beers out of the fridge for him and Sam. "You know half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind."
He came over and sat down, setting Sam's beer on the table. I immediately stood up and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I-I-I didn't get your messages," Sam stammered, eyeing us weirdly.
I knew he was probably wondering what exactly happened between Dean and I considering we were a lot closer the last time he saw us. A lot happened during our year in Purgatory.
"How come?" Dean demanded.
"Probably because I ditched the phones."
"Because...?"
"I guess, um... something happened to me this year, too," Sam shrugged. "I don't hunt anymore."
"Yeah, and Sasha Grey's gone legit," Dean quipped. "What?"
"Nothing. She, um, did a Soderbergh movie."
"What?"
"She did a Soderbergh-"
"No. You, Sam. You quit?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I- you were gone... guys. Cass was gone, Bobby was dead. I mean, Crowley even shipped Kevin and Meg to parts unknown."
"You quit, but you didn't bother getting my kids out of Heaven?" I cut in.
"Ellie-" Sam began.
"What the hell, Sam?"
"So you just turned tail on the family business," Dean interrupted the argument.
"Nothing says 'family' quite like the whole family being dead," Sam replied cynically.
"We weren't dead," Dean growled, standing up. "In fact, we were knee-deep in God's armpit killing monsters, which, I thought, is what we actually do."
I rolled my eyes, thinking about one particular monster that Dean refused to let die. Hypocrite.
"Yes, Dean," Sam nodded. "And far as I knew, what we do is the thing that got every single member of my family killed. I had no one- no one. And for the first time in my life, I was completely alone. And honestly, I-I didn't exactly have a roadmap. So, yeah, I-I fixed up the Impala, and I just... drove."
"You left my kids in Heaven."
"Oh my God. Drop it, Eleanor," Dean growled, rounding on me.
"W- what happened to you two?" Sam asked tentatively as we glared at each other.
"Purgatory happened," I growled. "Excuse me."
I stormed out the front door, slamming it behind me as I went. I couldn't believe Sam got out and didn't even bother to retrieve my kids from Sara. They could have been living normal lives with him this past year, and instead they spent the entire time in Heaven surrounded by angels.
"Sara? I don't know if this will get through to you, but Dean and I got back from Purgatory. Sam said you've been taking care of Maddie and Zep all this time. If you get a chance, I'd love to see them again. But I understand if you can't bring them right away."
I fell silent, waiting for a few moments to see if the angel would show up. While I waited, the door of the cabin slammed behind me. I turned to see Dean had come outside. He completely ignored me, heading straight for the Impala. He opened the passenger side door and rummaged around for a minute before reemerging with a box of phones.
"Dean-" I began as he passed me. "Dean!"
Figuring by lack of angelic presence that Sara and my kids weren't going to show anytime soon, I hurried after him back into the cabin.
"Dean," I tried again.
He continued to ignore me, taking a seat on the couch and putting in headphones to listen to all the messages Sam missed while he was living a regular life. Sam had started raiding the cupboards to figure out something to make for dinner.
"Ellie?" he called over. "Could you come help me?"
I looked at Dean, who was totally ignoring both Sam and I, then moved over to the kitchen.
"Okay. Seriously, what happened to you two? And don't just say Purgatory."
"A lot happened, Sam. It was a hard year. For both of us."
"But what-"
Sam cut himself off as he noticed Dean fixing him with a hard stare.
"What?"
Taking out the headphones, Dean put the phone he was holding on speaker so we could both listen.
"Sam Winchester, it's Kevin Tran. Crowley had me in a warehouse, and I just escaped. I don't know where I am. And I don't know if he or- or any other demons are still after me. I need your help. Call me back. It's Kevin Tran."
"When was that?" Sam asked when the message ended.
Instead of answering, Dean played the next message.
"Sam Winchester. It's Kevin Tran. I called you a week ago. Call me, please. I don't know what the hell I'm doing out here, man."
"Okay," Sam nodded, abandoning dinner. "I get it. So, what, you want to... strategize or something?"
Dean pressed play on the next message, still not saying anything.
"Sam, it's Kevin. I'm... Whoo! I'm so good."
"Is he drunk?"
"Three months since you ditched my ass. Haven't slept for more than four hours a night. It's all good in the hood," Kevin cleared his throat. "Uh, if you're still alive, eat me."
Dean played the next message.
"Eat me!"
And the next message.
"Sam, it's been six months. I can only assume you're dead. If not, don't try and reach me. You won't be able to. I won't be calling this number anymore."
Dean stood up from the couch, advancing on Sam.
"He was our responsibility," he threw the phone into Sam's chest. "And you couldn't answer the damn phone."
I just stood dumbstruck as Dean stalked out of the room without another word.