Lonestar State of Mind

Chapter 3: You Showed Him All the Best of You

Note: The title of the chapter is from the song Broken Angel by Boyce Avenue. The song Dean hears on the radio in the chapter later on is Ain't Always the Cowboy by Jon Pardi.

Dean was used to meaningless flings, and T.K seemed to be too, so thankfully, it wasn't weird at work which was a good thing when you worked 24-hour shifts with another person.

After his first shift, Dean couldn't wait for his second. It did excatly what wanted it to do. It gave him the same adrenaline buzz as a hunt, and knowing that he'd saved someone, that he'd helped stop a whold office of people losing their damn minds? That made it worth something to him, to Cas, to the whole world.

"I cared about the whole world because of you."

Dean tried to block out the memory of Cas's goodbye by turning the radio up.

"You changed me, Dean."

Dean sighed and shook his head, "Damnit, Cas. Even when you're dead, you won't leave me alone."

"I love you."

He put his foot down on the gas pedal a little too hard and changed the radio station, only for it blare our a country song that was a little too close to the bone right now.

"It ain't always the cowboy that ain't got a lot of hang around
Ain't got no settle down in their boots.
Gone's just what they do.
That restless runnin'
Searchin' for somethin'
Leavin' love in the dust of a midnight Chevrolet.
It ain't always the cowboy that rides away."

Dean turned the radio off irritably, "I hate country music," he muttered as he pulled into the firehouse car park, "And Jack, if you ain't going to bring him back, that's jus tfine, but don't be such a dick about it," he said, before getting out of the car.

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Dean was excited about his first fire, but he tried not to let on too much as they rode tot the scene, He was a grown man, after all, not  ayoung probie fresh out of school.

When they got here, a middle-aged lady ran out if the house, "Oh, bless yjour hearts for getting here so quick! I'm Ellen, oh bless your hearts," she said, every image of the sweer older lady.

She flirted with Owen, who wasn't having any of it, "You called in a fre, ma'am?" he asked directly.

"Yes, it's jsut over here," Ellen said, leading them around the back of the house, "You know, these people do not respect our countries laws. I guess we can't expect them to respect our cities either- back here."

"These people?" Marjan asked under her breath.

Dean shrugged. Casual racisom was at its worst in the south. It was one of the things Dean didn't like about it.

"See! They are putting the whole darned community at risk!"

"What is that?" T.K. asked, looking at the smoke coming from the ground, "Septic?"

"Hell, septic never smelled so good," Judd said, crossing the fence and kicking aside a metal palte, "That's barbacoa."

"What the hell is barbacoa?" Owen asked.

Dean was horrified by Owen's question, "Only the best steak in the goddamn country, Cap."

Judd grinned and looked down, "It's a steak you cook underground, cap."