Charlie had saved everyone. While she was in the bathroom, and before everything had gone to hell she sent the files she beat with the codex to Sam. The subject line is '911- see attached!!!!' The message in the body of the email says 'Sam, can't talk now. DL this file!' the file name is 'FORDEAN.doc'. You knew because you stared at it for hours memorizing every detail. Underneath the file name it shows 'symbol translator' and 'instant download.
Next to Sam's laptop were the papers containing all the symbol translations. And then you were holding the faded pictures laid next to that, one is a black & white photo of Dean as a young boy with Mary Winchester. The other is of Dean, even younger, and Mary holding Sam as a baby.
Across the table was Sam, holding a bullet in some sort of vise. In his hand he was holding a syringe over the top of the bullet and injecting a witch killing brew into it. Castiel came into the study, fully healed by now.
"Anything?" He asked, stopping at the doorway, you and Sam looked up.
"12 voicemails." You counted.
"LoJack on the Impala has clearly been disabled." Sam added.
"So a big heaping scoop of nothing." You concluded. "We need Rowena to hold up her end of the bargain -- now."
Sam takes a hammer to the top of the bullet. Castiel rolls his eyes, turns away and sighs frustratingly. You knew why, you were conflicted also. But there has been no other option.
"What?" Sam said, staring at his friend.
"Nothing." Castiel shrugged, then sighed: "It's -- it's just if she removes the Mark using The Book of the Damned -What of the consequences?"
"Which are what?" Sam asked, cocking his head and shrugging.
"Dean said --" Cass began but Sam couldn't be in the mood.
"Dean guessed!" Sam yelled then echaled loudly, you decided to take over in a more level-headed manner.
"Cass, what are we supposed to do?" You asked, "We can't just sit on our asses right now, right?"
"No. We find Dean." Cass rose his voice a bit.
"And then what?" Sam asked, growing more irritated, "The only thing that stopped Cain was death.Do you want to kill Dean? Because I don't. And the only way I know how to save my brother is to cure the Mark."
"We know there will be consequences, but not you, not Dean, not anybody can tell us what those consequences are." You backed Sam up, you couldn't stop now.
"I'm not gonna let my brother d-destroy himself on a guess." Sam added, slinking back in his chair.
"We save Dean." You stressed. And the two of them nodded in agreement in reluctant silence.
~
Dean laid on a carpeted floor, sweating, ragged, and stinking of booze and rot. A truck horn blares, startling him awake and forces him to lift his head off of the rug. As he starts to get up his cellphones begins blaring. He stumbles to sit on the hotel room bed and grabs his phone off the nightstand. The screen shows '12 Messages from (Y/N)' and "21 Messages from Sam".
Dean drops his head, sighs and takes another swig of his beer that was on the nightstand. He takes a bigger sip and beer spills down his chin. Breathing heavily, he rubs his hand down his face.
"I'm good." He mutters to himself quietly, repeating it to convince himself of who he was, how he was, "I'm good."
~
You, Sam, and Castiel went back to the old factory. After what he did to Cass, you wanted nothing more than that thing off his arm. You wanted the old Dean back. You wanted him not to murder the world. Sam tried killing Crowley and it didn't work, leaving you in bad standing with his mother, Rowena. Speaking of, Rowena drinking tea out of a Styrofoam cup, sat at the table she was chained to, waiting. You weren't there for even 5 seconds and Sam has his gun aimed at her.
"Hello." Rowena smiled, "Just in time for tea --u-unless something on your mind?"
"Five things, actually." Sam raised the gun and cocks it, "Hollow tips filled with witch-killing brew."
"How exciting for you." Rowena tried to act as though she was un-phased, "Your NRA will be beside themselves with pride."
"No more games, Rowena." Sam stepped closer to her, "Do the spell now."
"Or what exactly?" Rowena stared down Sam's gun, "Come on, Samuel! You and I both know that's nothing but a bluff. Charlie may have cracked the codex, but who's going to read it if I'm gone?" Rowena continued raising her voice, the rest of you slowly realizing she's right, "Not to mention handling the ingredients, getting the measurements just right – unless, of course, either of you have spent years of your life studying with the greats, mastering the intricacies of high witchcraft? But forgive me. Maybe you have."
Rowena calmed down a bit. Sitting down and taking another sip of her tea she said: "I know you're upset. We all are. Poor Dean. Let's just have a nice wee cup of tea... and negotiate."
"What do you want?" Sam uncocked his gun, going forward to the table.
"Oh, well, we know what I wanted." Rowena referred to the failed Crowley assassination, "Soiled the sheets on that one, didn't we? Let's talk about what I'll take -- my freedom guaranteed and the codex."
You and Cass looked at each other. That was a high bargain. She could do anything with that codex. But when you both looked at Sam, you could see he genuinely was considering it.
"Sam, you can't be --" Cass interrupted but Sam ignored him.
"Do you know which spell?" Sam asked, hope and dread filling his eyes.
"I do." Rowena nodded.
"Sam." You tried to get his attention, this was a giant decision. It should be made together. Dean was already pissed at you all for even attempting this in the first place, now not only were you going to do this then give it to Rowena? "This is a mistake."
~
But they never listen to you.
"Sumsu mimma ezebu ilu ma ikkibu Lu." Rowena translated, "Something made by God, but forbidden to man."
"Forbidden?" Sam blanked.
"The forbidden fruit?" Cass suggested.
"No." You huffed, so annoyed, "The actual apple is the first ingredient?"
"Sumsu mimma ezebu Lu," rowena continued on.
"Okay, uh, what's next?" Sam crossed his arms.
"Something made by man, but forbidden by God." Rowena read.
"Okay, well, God forbade false idols, right?" You suggested.
"The Golden Calf." Cass answered.
"Wasn't that destroyed?" You questioned. The silence between everyone was uncomfortable, how were going to get these ingredients?
"Sumsu mimma sen arramu." Rowena continued.
"Great." Sam muttered under his breath, stressed beyond belief. "What's the third ingredient?"
"Oh." Rowena's finger slipped down the page in discontent.
"What?" Sam pressed further.
"The third ingredient, it's impossible." Rowena decided. As if the other two were anymore fathomable.
"What is it?" You asked.
"Loosely translated --my heart." Rowena deciphered.
"It's not impossible at all." Castiel took a step toward her.
"Not my literal heart, feathers." She rolled her eyes at him, "Something I love, the spell calls for me to kill it."
"A sacrifice." Sam shortened.
"Precisely." Rowena nodded, "The book will grant freedom from the curse, but it wants something in return."
"Well, then give it." You pushed.
"Bring me something I love, I'll kill it." Rowena raised her voice, "I want my freedom too much to make a fuss over that.
The -- the problem is, I don't love anything."
"What about Crowley?" Castiel suggested.
"Happy to kill him. Let's not call it love." Rowena smiled.
"I don't believe you." You crossed your arms, even in your darkest times you always loved something. It was practically impossible to be numb to love, that didn't make sense. "Everyone loves something."
Then you grew impatient, the on you may or may not love is walking around with attached murder tendencies. You had no time for a witch that didn't love. So you walked over to Rowena and placed two fingers on her forehead. In your head you got a fuzzy view of a boy and a goat in a field.
Oskar! You heard Rowena's voice in your head, lighter and younger. More vibrant, Oskar! Czas Na kolacje!
Then you came back to reality, removing the fingers from her head.
"Polish boy. Oskar." You said, still exhilarated by the experience.
"I'm sorry. Oskar? You saw Oskar?" Rowena looked as though she may cry.
"Who is he?" Sam asked.
"Who was he?" Rowena corrected, "Uh, a peasant boy -- his family helped me through some difficulties, 300 years ago."
Sam's cellphone rings, breaking the conversation. He walks away from you three t answer it but you follow him.
"Rudy. What's up?" Sam spoke into the phone. You made your presence known to Sam and he put it on speaker for you to hear.
"Wish I could say it was good news, Sam." Rudy continued, "I just bumped into Dean working a fang banger case in Superior."
"Dean's in Nebraska, w-working a case?" Sam scrunched his face in surprise. Working a case is the last thing he should be doing.
"Yeah, my case." Rudy said, "And, uh...He's not playing well with others."
"Yeah, Dean's not exactly in the best place right now." Sam explained, "You know what? Do me a favor. Just text me the details, would you?"
"All right. Whatever you need." Rudy said.
"Okay. Thanks." Sam hung up, then Cass approached you two.
"What's going on?" Cass asked for an update.
"Cass, take this." Sam handed Castiel a plastic bag. "It's Dean's hair. You need it for the spell. Cass, I need you to do this for me. Make the spell happen whatever it takes, please."
"Where are you going?" Cass stopped him from leaving.
"Superior, Nebraska. Dean's working a fang case there." Sam updated him.
"Not alone." You stepped up, "You better believe I'm going to help in bringing him home."
"(Y/N), I need you here helping with these ingredients." Sam tried to make you stay
"I don't care." You walked toward the door, then turned back around to Sam, "I need to be with Dean. Please, Sam. He'd never give up until I'm home, I can't either."
Sam just nodded, if anyone understood it it was him. He didn't say anything, just left with a silent signal for you to follow.