The Dark of Night

Dean pulled up to the lake where they last saw Castiel. It had been six months since that day; and to be perfectly honest, they were the worst six months of Dean’s life. Even Hell had been better than this.
Dean sighed and turned the Impala off. He reached into the back to grab his bag. Inside was a bottle of trusty Jack Daniels, and Castiel’s old trench coat which he had taken to carrying everywhere with him. He just couldn’t bear to part with it.
Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Dean exited the Impala, and made his way towards the lake. Luckily the gate was still unlocked because he didn’t feel like hopping a fence tonight. Dean sighed again and pushed the gate open, he was beginning to have second thoughts about doing this. Dean pushed away the thoughts of the doubt, and headed to the edge of the lake.
Once there, he sat down and emptied his bag. The bottle of Jack was the first thing he pulled out. He opened it and took a long drink, in hopes that it would calm his emotions. Next he pulled out Castiel’s trench coat. He held it up to his face, taking a deep breath and imaging Castiel’s smell. The coat smelled vaguely of fresh rain and earth, and to Dean, it smelled like home.
Dean set the coat beside him then went to roll up his pant legs. He eased his feet into the water, gently moving them back and forth. Between the Jack and the movement of his feet, Dean felt a little calmer. He felt like now was the time to do what he had came here to do.
“Cas, I miss you. So much. These last six months have been hell for me. Worse than hell, actually. I think I would rather be on the rack than have to deal with the fact that you’re not here anymore.”
Dean paused and wiped his eyes. He swore he wouldn’t cry, but he just couldn’t stop his tears. He pulled Castiel’s coat onto his lap and ran his finger over the fabric.
“For some reason, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy life quite as much, knowing that you aren’t a part of it. I still hunt with Sam, but it’s just not the same. Sam has been getting on my case lately about my drinking, what does he expect me to do though? I lost yet another person that I cared about, and I don’t know how much more I can handle.”
Dean sniffed and took another long drink. He pulled on the coat with a quiet sigh. He pulled the coat closer to his body, tried to curl into himself, looking as small as he felt.
Dean stared across the lake, lost in his thoughts. He took another swig. By now, he was finally starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. His thoughts stopped whirling around his head at a million miles an hour, and he could feel himself becoming numb which was a feeling that he welcomed.
When the wind rustled, Dean swore it sounded like Castiel’s wings. He pulled his feet out of the water and lay on the ground. He curled onto his side in a fetal position, pulling Castiel’s coat tighter to him, and started slowly falling asleep. When he was about to fall asleep, a gentle warmth surrounded him.
At first, Dean blamed the alcohol. But when he opened his eyes, a soft glow surrounded him, and the hand print on his shoulder started to tingle, sending gentle shiver down his spine.
He knew Castiel couldn’t have forgotten about him, even without him being there in person. Dean felt safe and protected for the first time since Castiel left, laying on the ground surrounded by Castiel’s Grace.