The Scandal: Part 2

After another minute passed, Sam got up from where he was sitting and walked to the door. He knocked once, three times, then turned the doorknob and opened the door. As soon as he did, Dean appeared before them, looking completely panicked.

"Didn't you hear me say you needed to-" Sam cut himself off as he noticed that there were tears in Dean's eyes. "Dude, what happened?"

Dean shook his head. "It's nothing." He cleared his throat and tried to compose himself. "I should go take a shower." He quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him. Alex followed him quickly.

Sam and Castiel both exchanged glances. Sam let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before sitting back down on the couch, leaning against the cushion. Castiel placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezed gently.

A short while later, Dean emerged back into the living room wearing some pajama pants and a tee shirt. Cas stood up and approached Dean cautiously as Sam remained seated on the couch.

"We're just wondering what happened," Sam started. "Are you okay?"

Dean paused momentarily and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine." Before any of them could say anything else, Dean grabbed his coat from the closet and exited the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.

Shortly after, Alex stormed out too.

"Shit," Sam muttered under his breath as he stared at the closed door. He turned to look at Castiel with concern in his expression. "What do we do now?"

Castiel shook his head, sighing deeply as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "Honestly? We don't know what to do, Sam. But I do feel like Dean needs someone right now. Maybe it's for the best if we leave him alone for a little bit."

Sam frowned and nodded before he stood up and walked into their bedroom. Castiel followed him inside. He watched as Sam pulled clothes out of the dresser and threw them on the bed. He then looked back at Castiel and sat down next to him.

"Do you know what time it is?" Sam asked softly, staring at the floor. "Is that even possible?"

Castiel frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "I haven't checked, but I would bet it's around ten in the morning. How early are you supposed to go back to school tomorrow?"

Sam shrugged. "I have no idea. My advisor told me to come in tomorrow morning, but she also said to come back during lunch or before the afternoon classes start."

Suddenly, a loud thud sounded from outside of the room, and they both looked at each other before standing up and rushing to the window. They saw Dean running down the sidewalk, clutching his side. Castiel reached for the light switch on the wall. The lights came on, illuminating the entire apartment and illuminating their expressions in bright orange.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he ran out of the room and into the hallway. Castiel ran behind him, and the second they stepped outside, they heard the sounds of sirens in the distance.

Dean continued to run, ignoring the pain shooting through his body and the blood that dripped from his wound. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his arm and pull him to a stop. He stumbled forward before collapsing onto the concrete, letting out a grunt. As he lifted himself back to his feet, his eyes met Cas' concerned ones.

"We need to move, Dean," Castiel whispered firmly. "Now."

Slowly, Dean turned around to see Sam racing towards him with Castiel trailing behind him. The two of them were breathing hard and panting as they stopped in front of Dean, trying to catch their breaths.

Castiel was the first to speak. "Where is he hurt?"

Dean shook his head slowly and pointed down the street. "Somewhere down there. Come on."

Sam and Cas didn't hesitate to follow Dean down the road. They walked silently for several blocks until Dean stopped them in their tracks. They glanced at each other questionably before following Dean's gaze to the large crowd gathered near the building they had been heading towards.

"What do you suppose..." Castiel trailed off, gesturing towards the people.

Dean shook his head. "I don't fucking know. I've only seen these people twice.

He turned his gaze towards Sam. "But, Sammy, what does it even have to do with ?"

Sam sighed heavily. "They must have found out somehow that something is wrong with Alex."

"Maybe," Castiel responded, nodding. "It could be anything. Like the hospital. Or maybe the accident. That might have something to do with this, though. She probably has some sort of disease they were keeping hidden from everyone so they wouldn't scare everyone."