Cowboys and Angels (A Dean Winchester/ Supernatural FanFiction)

Chapter 21: September

Chapter 21: September

It took a bit of coaxing on Dean's part before I finally stepped into the house, setting foot in the foyer for the first time in almost a decade. My combat boots clicked loudly on the hardwood floors, echoing through the dark halls as I traversed the front room and made my way into the living room. Every movement I made caused dust to swirl up into the air, the moonbeams reaching through the windows illuminating every speck.

I looked around, my fist clenching as tears welled up in my eyes again. Pictures sat all around me, on the dusty tabletops and shelves—all, but one of the people depicted were long gone, and the person that wasn't had finally returned. I picked the closest one up, wiping some of the dust away, a small smile sneaking its way onto my face as I stared down at my parent's image.

My father, a tall man with clean cut, dark brown hair and a medium build had his arm slung loosely around my mother, her blonde hair was cascading down her shoulders and her green eyes shone bright. I was standing in front of both of them, probably no more than ten at the time wearing a bright pink sundress, a color I would never even consider wearing today, a toothy grin plastered on my face.

Their faces were far too familiar, even after 9 years without them. A pang of loneliness hit me, hard. Gently setting the picture face down on the small, sturdy wooden table resting against the wall it had originally been on, I turned back to inspect the rest of the room.

The couches and chairs were covered by yellowing sheets, some of which hadn't been touched in years. Dust hung loosely at the edges, having gathered from years of an absence of people.

Cas and Sam were still wandering in and out of rooms. They were probably the most movement this place had seen in years. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped, looking back at Dean, forcing a smile.

"If it becomes too painful to be here we can always go somewhere else," the hunter said quietly, his green eyes soft in the dim light of the room. I forced a smile, resting my hand on his.

"I'll be alright. I knew I'd have to face this one day." There was a long pause that was eventually interrupted by someone clearing their throat. We both looked up, finding Sam standing in the doorway to what looked like the kitchen, eyebrows raised.

"If you two are done, we have a bit of cleaning up to do." I nodded, starting towards the hallway on the other side of the room adjacent to the kitchen doorway, a small shiver travelling down my spine. Some of the cold from outside had seemed to have found me in here, as if I hadn't been uncomfortable enough, but I did slip my hand out of my pocket, running my fingers gently down the familiar walls that encased the area.

There were three doorways total on that back hallway—one that lead to the garage, one that lead to a small half bathroom, and one that lead to a large closet. I rested my hand on the cold metal doorknob that lead into the closet, opening it and pushing past the old, familiar coats that still hung in there after years and years of the house being vacant. Behind the clothing was a small breaker panel, of which I pulled open, revealing two rows of switches, each labeled to a part of the house. I flipped the appropriate power switches, calling to the boys to start flipping light switches. Next thing I knew, light flooded the area around me.

"That's much better," I heard Cas sigh. "But it just makes the mess in here more apparent." I rolled my eyes, closing the closet door and making my way back to the living room. He wasn't wrong. Dust covered every plausible surface it could, and the sheets looked even more aged in the light.

"We'll start in here—just start moving sheets and wiping everything down. Then we can just get some rest and make a run to the store in the morning. We can survive on the snacks I have in my car until then," I coughed. "My only request is that you stay out of the west wing of the house. There's plenty of space for us over here." And with that, we scattered.