His Name Was Death And Hell Followed With Him Chapter 3 When I'm Dreaming
His Name Was Death And Hell Followed With Him
Chapter Three
When I’m Dreaming
June 17 2008
“That is horseshit and you know it.”
Dean glances over at Bobby and smiles to himself.
Bobby was busy waving a spanner at John who instinctively took a step back.
He had known Bobby Singer his whole life. Bobby and John had been friends from even before that and he thought of him as family.
Bobby had helped all those years ago in the search for Sam, in a strange way Bobby had sometimes blamed himself for Sam’s disappearance.
Dean had always told him that he was wrong, nothing he could have done about it.
Dean walks over to the truck that Bobby and John were standing next to. “What’s going on now?”
“This old fool is trying to tell me that the Royals…”
Dean waves his hand in front of him, cutting Bobby of. “You’re still going on about that?”
John steps toward his son and pats him on the back. “You know how it goes with him, always wrong but can never admit it.”
Dean rolls his eyes and grabs the spanner from Bobby. “If you two idiots are done, it’s nearly 6pm, so can we wrap this up so I can get my drink on.”
John shakes his head at his son. “I wanna clean up first. I’ll meet you at Jimmy’s in an hour.”
Dean nods back at him before he turns on his heel and leaves the garage.
30 minutes later Dean is standing at the bar in Jimmy’s, a beer in his hand and his foot tapping ever so slightly to the Blue Oyster Cult song playing on the jukebox.
The place was already packed, the usuals were there. Most of them Dean knew by name but there were a few that he had never bothered to ask.
A table in the back of the bar held a group of people that didn’t recognize save for one, it was the man he had seen at the diner, the one who had stopped him on the street
outside of the garage.
He still hadn’t learned the man’s name and part of him wondered whether he should just go over there and ask him.
Instead he glances at his watch and sees that it’s nearly 7:30pm and there was still no sign of either John or Bobby.
Finishing up his beer, he places the bottle down and waves at Ellen for another.
A few minutes later she places another bottle in front of him.
Turning to the door, he waits for his father to show up, of course he wouldn’t be at all surprised if John didn’t make an appearance. He had an annoying habit of not doing
what he said he was going to do, especially since Sam had disappeared.
He would sometimes be radio silent for days at a time and Dean never could get it out of him, where he had been.
Before he had more of a chance to wonder where his Dad was, the door to the bar swung open and Jess, Jo and Ash walked in.
“Great.” Dean mutters under his breath as Ash approaches and slaps him on the back.
“Dude, I am so glad that you showed up tonight.”
Dean rolls his eyes. “Yeah, of course I showed up, what with all the plans we didn’t make.”
Ash chuckles loudly and Dean cringes.
He’s only saved when Jess grabs his arm and pulls him to the only free table in the place.
They both take a seat and sit awkwardly for what feels like the longest time.
“So, what’s up?” Dean asks her.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jess replies. “Its 10 years next month and some of us thought that maybe we could uh… we want to do something.”
Dean smiles wistfully and nods back at her. “Yeah, I guess that would be kind of nice. My mom would really like that.”
Jess nods too and then takes the beer out of Dean’s hand and has a mouthful before giving it back to him.
“I don’t know what we’ll do but I just feel like… I feel like it’s all my fault so I need to do something.”
He reaches over and places his hand on her arm. “Jessica, what happened to him it’s not your fault. It was a freak accident and there was nothing that you could have done
about it.”
“That’s a lie and we both know it,” she tells him. “We should never have been there in the first place.”
Dean shakes his head “Jess, it wasn’t your fault.”
They sit in silence for a moment until Jess moves in the seat. “Dean, what do you think happened to him? I think about it all the time, sometimes I think about it so much that I
feel like I’m going to go crazy but I can never stop it because I don’t have any actual answers.”
Dean thinks about it for a moment, of course he wondered what happened to Sam, because no one ever actually just disappears off the face of the earth, do they?
He’d gone over it a million times, had Sam run away? Had someone taken him from the building?
In ten years there hadn’t been a single sighting of Samuel Winchester, no tips no anonymous calls to the police.
How could that happen?
He glances at Jess and wishes that he could give her an answer but there isn’t one to give.
When he heads back to the bar, John had finally shown up and he and Bobby were sitting at a table near the television screen, some game was playing but he couldn’t hear
it, didn’t care to either.
His line of sight was directed to the back of the bar again, the table that earlier held four people, now held just one, the guy Dean didn’t know the name of.
His curiosity got the better of him and he makes his way over to the table and sits down.
The guy doesn’t move an inch but he does look up at Dean smiles.
“Who are you?” Dean asks. “I keep seeing you around but I don’t know your name.”
The guy smiles again but doesn’t say anything.
“You don’t speak English? You’re deaf and you can’t understand me?”
“I understand you,” the guy replies. “We may have met before, I’ve met a lot of people.”
“Great, you’re one of those people.”
The man cocks an eyebrow at him. “One of those people? I don’t understand.”
“Never mind,” Dean says, shaking his head. “I feel like you’re watching me, were you?”
The man shrugs his shoulders. “I’m watching everyone.”
“Yeah, that ain’t creepy at all.” Dean mutters under his breath.
“Can I ask you why you came over here?” he asks. “You are here with your friends?”
Dean nods back at him. “I came over here cos it felt like you were watching me and yeah I’m here with my friends. See, this place is our local and you’re clearly not, local.”
“A local?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been here before.” he tells Dean.
“Who were the others that were here with you before?” Dean questions him.
“I guess that I could call them my friends but we are more like colleagues.”
“Great.” Dean snorts.
“My name is Cas.”
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him. “Cas? What the hell sort of name is that?”
“I would say it’s more heavenly than hellish.”
Dean stares back at him, he has no idea what the guy is talking about.
“Would you like another drink?”
Dean glances down at the almost empty bottle and then looks back up at Cas. “Sure, if you’re buying.”
“I am.” Cas replies.
“Great,” Dean says. “But uh… beer, not whatever it is that you’re drinking.”
Cas glances down at the glass. “I’m unsure of what this even is, the bar tender suggested it.”
Dean raises an eyebrow again. “I bet she did.”
Cas gets up from the table and makes his way to the bar.
Dean looks around, a few more people have arrived and they’re packed around the tables, he can see Jess’ blonde hair through the crowd, she was deep in conversation
with Ash and Bobby.
He glanced around for his father, he was standing at the end of the bar talking to Owen, one of the bartenders.
A few minutes later, Cas returns with the drinks and places a beer down in front of Dean before he takes a seat.
“You really should try one of these green drinks,” Cas tells him. “They’re really not all that bad.”
Dean rolls his eyes. “Thanks, but I’ll stick with beer. I’m not one for appletinis.”
Cas takes a mouthful of his drink and then nods appreciatively to himself. “You are missing out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Dean smirks at him.
They sit in silence for a moment and then Dean turns in the seat to face Cas. “Who are you again?”
“My name is Cas.”
“Yeah, I got that part.” Dean replies.
“Then I’m not sure that I understand what you mean.”
Dean sighs heavily and takes another mouthful of beer. “What do you do?”
“I help people,” Cas explains. “In any way that I can.”
“Wow,” Dean says with mock enthusiasm, eliciting a smile from Cas but then Dean rolls his eyes again. “Care to vague that up for me a little.”
Cas tilts his head and narrows his eyes. “You’re a little strange Dean.”
Dean sits back in his seat. “I hadn’t told you my name yet, so how did you know it?”
Cas points to Ash who’s sitting at a table with Jess and a few other people. “That one there is rather vocal, I saw him greet you when he came in. Also, you are the older
brother of that young man who missing a few years ago, right?”
Dean lowers his gaze to the bottle in his hand. “Yeah, something like that.”
Even 10 years later, everyone still knew who he was, that he was the missing kid’s older brother.
Things like that didn’t happen in Lawrence, it was a smallish town, the crime rate wasn’t exactly… there weren’t a ton of murders or disappearances, everyone knew
everyone, it was just the way it was.
“Dean?”
Dean glances up. “Yeah, sorry what did you say?”
“Well I haven’t said anything in a few minutes,” Cas replies. “Is everything alright?”
Dean takes another pull on the beer bottle before placing it onto the table. “Yeah, it’s good. Just the mention of my brother is all.”
Cas nods back at him and then rests his hand on Dean’s arm. “I’m sorry that I brought it up, it still must be difficult for you.”
Dean shakes his head and stands up.
“You’re leaving?”
“No,” he replies, picking up the bottle and waves it at Cas. “I need another drink. I need a lot of drinks.”
Dean makes his way back to the bar, he stops for a moment to talk to his Dad.
“I thought you were ignoring me.” John says as he slaps Dean on the back causing him to wince.
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Dean says with a shake of his head. “Just… talking to others.”
John notices his empty beer bottle. “You want me to get you another?”
“No, I’m on my way to the bar now,” Dean replies. “You want anything?”
John shakes his head. “I’m good for now.”
Dean squeezes his eyes shut when he hears Ash’s voice ring out.
“I’m sorry,” Jess says as she and Jo step up beside Dean. “I tried to keep him away from you as long as possible.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Dude, was wondering when you were gonna stop macking on that guy in the back of the bar and join us.”
Dean drops his head and sighs heavily.
“Shut the hell up Ash,” Jo tells him. “You’re just jealous that you’ve already been rejected a dozen times tonight.”
“Wait, that ain’t got anything to do with it,” Ash says. “I’m just saying that he would have sex with a trash can if it looked at him right.”
Ash falls against the table as John slaps him across the back of the back of the head and it rocks slightly almost causing several glasses to topple over.
“Well, if the trash can looked anything like that guy you’re talking to…” Jess says with a smile directed at Dean and Ash narrows his eyes. “What? He’s hot.”
“Thanks.” Dean retorts under his breath. “This is exactly what I wanted to happen.”
Grabbing the empty bottle he pushes away from the table and makes his way to the bar. He orders another beer and then he orders another appletini for Cas.
“Really Dean?” Ellen asks with a laugh. “Branching out to appletinis now?”
Dean narrows his eyes and then shakes his head. “Not fucking likely, it’s for Cas.”
Ellen leans across the bar. “Of course, I should have guessed.”
“You should have guessed what?” Dean retorts.
“First look at him should have given it away, he’s definitely your type.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Dean asks.
Ellen smirks back at him. “Nothing.”
“Ellen.”
“Yeah?”
“Bite me.”
Ellen laughs as she makes her way back down the bar and Dean picks up the drinks and heads over to the table.
Cas is still sitting there and he almost lets out a sigh of relief, he’s only drunk half of his drink but Dean places the new glass down in front of him.
“Got you another, hope that’s okay.” Dean says as he takes his seat.
Cas glances up at him, a small smile play across his lips. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
He makes no attempt though at finishing his previous drink and Dean scrunches up his nose and takes a long pull on the beer.
“So you were saying before, that you help people.” Dean says placing the bottle down onto the table. “What do you do exactly?”
Cas finally lifts the drink to his lips and takes a small sip.
“I help people find the things that they have lost,” Cas explains. “And I help them heal from their losses when I can’t.”
Dean stares back at him, he can’t really explain what he’s feeling right now but for some reason it’s almost as if Cas is talking directly about him and about Sam and it sends
a chill down his spine.
“So you’re what…” Dean asks. “Some sort of weird psychologist detective combo or something?”
Cas smiles back at him. “Or something.” He reaches over and places his hand on Dean’s arm which sends a warm tingling sensation through his whole body. “I listen when
people need to talk.”
Dean shakes his head. “I don’t need to talk, thanks.”
“Well if you ever do, I’ll listen.” Cas tells him.
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him at him quickly finishes off his drink.
He wants another, no scratch that, he needs another drink especially after this messed up conversation he was having.
“You shouldn’t drink anymore,” Cas points out. “That is your sixth beer.”
Dean glares back at him, if there was one thing that really got on his nerves, it was when people made comments about his drinking. “You keeping count? Besides, this isn’t
even a start for me.”
“I don’t understand.” Cas replies.
Dean shakes his head. “Of course you don’t understand so don’t worry about it.”
“You drink an awful lot.” Cas says as a fact, not a question.
“You’re incredibly annoying, you know that right?” Dean answers.
Cas shrugs his shoulders. “I have been told that on occasion.”
Dean laughs despite himself. “I don’t give a shit what you say, I’ll drink as much as I damn well want to.”
Dean once again heads to the bar and this time it takes even longer to make his way back to the table and once again he’s surprised to see that Cas is still sitting in the exact
same place, still nursing the exact same drink.
He drops down into the seat and glances over at Cas. “What are you still doing here? Thought you would have left by now.”
“I assumed that you wanted me to stay,” Cas replies. “Did I assume wrong?”
Dean takes a long pull of beer then places it down onto the table, he exhales sharply and then shakes his head. “No, you didn’t assume wrong.”
Cas smiles back at him after that. “Good, I like talking to you, you’re… strange but interesting.”
“I’m strange?” Dean laughs again. “Whatever you say.”
June 18 2008
“Dude, its 2am.” Ash cries out.
He glances at the table to where John and Bobby are still sitting, talking. Jo and Jess were at the table across from him, Jess looked like she was about to fall asleep any
second and even though he could party like it was 1999, he was starting to feel the exhaustion sink in.
“Who are you talking to?” Jo asks Ash.
Ash swivels in the chair to face her and shrugs his shoulders. “Whoever was listening, turns out to be you, where the fuck is Dean at?”
Jo points to the back of the bar and Ash shakes his head.
“Nah, he ain’t been over there for a while now.” Ash replies.
“Then why did you bother to ask?” Jo replies as she brushes a strand of hair out of her eyes.
Ash laughs even though nothing funny was said and Jo cocks an eyebrow at him. “I bet I know where he is.”
Ash pushes his chair back and Jo follows him toward the back of the bar and he reaches out for the door handle leading to the back patio.
There was a young couple sitting at a table near one of the patio heaters talking quietly.
At the back of the patio near a large potted tree, Ash saw Dean standing in front of someone and as they got closer, they could see it was the guy Dean had been talking to
all night and they sure as hell weren’t talking now.
“Yo, Deano. What you doing?”
He could hear Dean sigh from where he was standing and then he spun around, anger flashing in his eyes.
“What do you want Ash?”
Ash waves at the bar. “We’re all heading out now, you want a lift home?”
Dean scrunches up his nose and Ash is pretty sure that he flipped him off. “No thanks.”
Ash wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Got that covered have ya? A ride?”
Ash turns to face Jo who had wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.
“Can you believe that guy?” Ash says with a chuckle. “Told ya he would have sex with anything that moved.”
Jo raises an eyebrow. “You’re just jealous that he won’t have sex with you.”
Ash takes a step back, a slightly disgusted look on his face. “What now?”
Jo shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous, you know that right?” She looks at Dean again. “We really are leaving Dean so if you do want someone to drop you off at home, you’ll
have to come now.”
Dean turns back to Cas and says something that Jo and Ash can’t hear and then looks back at Jo.
“I’m good, thanks anyway Jo.” Dean tells her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jo waves at him. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Wait,” Dean calls out, taking a few steps closer toward them. “Tell John that I’m good.”
Jo smiles to herself. “I’ll make sure that he knows.”
Dean turns to Cas again.
“Are you sure that you don’t want someone to take you home?”
Dean lightly shakes his head. “No, why would I want to do that?”
Cas smiles back at him. “Okay, but I imagine that we can’t stay here for much longer, they will want to close soon.”
Dean shrugs his shoulders. “True, Ellen is kinda a pain in the ass for wanting to shut at a reasonable hour, thought maybe we could go back to my place, I have more beer
there and it’s not too far from here.”
“Then perhaps I should be the one to drive, I feel that you have had far too much to drink.”
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think so, no one drives my baby but me.”
“Your baby?” Cas asks, one eyebrow raised. “I don’t know what that means.”
Dean shakes his head and reaches into his pocket for the keys, he knows that he can’t drive home, Cas was right, he was way too drunk for that and he doesn’t want to
leave the car parked in the lot but he also doesn’t really want to let anyone else drive.
That didn’t leave him with much of a choice.
Sucking in a deep breath, he holds the keys out to Cas with much hesitation of course. “Fine, you drive but if anything happens to my car…”
Cas takes the keys from him and then motions toward the door. “Shall we?”
Dean slowly opens his eyes and glances around the room, it’s mostly dark, aside from a small shaft of light peeking in through a gap in the curtains.
Rolling onto his side, he looks at the alarm clock. It’s nearly six o’clock and with a heavy sigh, he falls back against the pillows.
Tilting his head to the right, he can see Cas lying there, he’s still fast asleep with one arm draped over the edge
He knew that once again he had had too much to drink and when he feels movement on the bed beside him, he tilts his head to the right and can see Cas lying there, he’s
still fast asleep with one arm draped over the edge of the mattress and his feet just poking out from under the covers.
Closing his eyes again, he can’t help but think about what Ash had said a few weeks earlier, his drinking was getting out of control.
He had a pounding headache and his mouth felt like sandpaper.
Despite the hangover, he smiles to himself when he recalls the events of the previous night.
They had fallen into bed at around three o’clock and for Dean it was the first time in a long time that he didn’t get that gnawing, regretful feeling in his stomach after having
sex.
Cas stirs beside him and he throws his arm out, playfully smacking Dean across the chest.
“What time is it?” Cas asks him.
“Just after six,” Dean tells him. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You should just go back to sleep.”
Cas mumbles something that Dean can’t quite make out so he relaxes against the pillows and closes his eyes.
“If you would prefer me to leave, I would be okay with that.” Cas says a moment later.
Dean lifts his hand and scratches his cheek. “I didn’t say that and if I wanted you to leave, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.”
Cas moves again, propping himself up on one elbow. “What do you mean?”
Dean sighs, mutters something under his breath and then sits up, tucking the pillow behind his back, he tries to get comfortable. “I mean I wouldn’t have brought you here, to
my place. I don’t bring people here Cas, I normally go with them.”
Cas sits up properly now. “Why?”
“What do you mean why?” Dean asks. “I do that so that I can leave without feeling bad.”
Cas shifts again, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not sure that I understand you.”
Dean stares at him. From the single moment they met, Cas had spoken in a way that confused the hell out of him, it was like he had been plucked from the 1940’s or
something. It was like trying to explain everything to a five year old.
“I don’t know how to explain it any differently.” Dean finally says.
“No, that isn’t exactly what I meant. What I was trying to say is that in general, I do not understand most of what you are talking about.”
“Uh, pot meet kettle,” Dean replies. He regrets saying that the instant the words leave his mouth because Cas is looking at him like he has three heads.
“Should I even ask what you mean by that?”
“I wouldn’t.” Dean says with a smirk.
“I’ll stay.” Cas says after a while.
Cas leans over and gives him a quick kiss before he falls back against the pillow and Dean is sure that he’s snoring before he can even react to the kiss.
Shifting on the bed, he tucks his arm under the pillow and closes his eyes.
Drawing in a deep breath he thinks about the events of the last few days, everything from the nightmare fog taking over his house to meeting Cas.
Sometimes his life made zero sense, hell 90% of the time his life made no sense.
Glancing over at Cas again, he wonders what’s gotten into him, he would never in a million years have done this, brought someone to his place.
There was something about him though, an almost familiar feeling that he couldn’t quite place but he knew that it would eventually come to him.
Chapter Four
Chapter Three
When I’m Dreaming
June 17 2008
“That is horseshit and you know it.”
Dean glances over at Bobby and smiles to himself.
Bobby was busy waving a spanner at John who instinctively took a step back.
He had known Bobby Singer his whole life. Bobby and John had been friends from even before that and he thought of him as family.
Bobby had helped all those years ago in the search for Sam, in a strange way Bobby had sometimes blamed himself for Sam’s disappearance.
Dean had always told him that he was wrong, nothing he could have done about it.
Dean walks over to the truck that Bobby and John were standing next to. “What’s going on now?”
“This old fool is trying to tell me that the Royals…”
Dean waves his hand in front of him, cutting Bobby of. “You’re still going on about that?”
John steps toward his son and pats him on the back. “You know how it goes with him, always wrong but can never admit it.”
Dean rolls his eyes and grabs the spanner from Bobby. “If you two idiots are done, it’s nearly 6pm, so can we wrap this up so I can get my drink on.”
John shakes his head at his son. “I wanna clean up first. I’ll meet you at Jimmy’s in an hour.”
Dean nods back at him before he turns on his heel and leaves the garage.
30 minutes later Dean is standing at the bar in Jimmy’s, a beer in his hand and his foot tapping ever so slightly to the Blue Oyster Cult song playing on the jukebox.
The place was already packed, the usuals were there. Most of them Dean knew by name but there were a few that he had never bothered to ask.
A table in the back of the bar held a group of people that didn’t recognize save for one, it was the man he had seen at the diner, the one who had stopped him on the street
outside of the garage.
He still hadn’t learned the man’s name and part of him wondered whether he should just go over there and ask him.
Instead he glances at his watch and sees that it’s nearly 7:30pm and there was still no sign of either John or Bobby.
Finishing up his beer, he places the bottle down and waves at Ellen for another.
A few minutes later she places another bottle in front of him.
Turning to the door, he waits for his father to show up, of course he wouldn’t be at all surprised if John didn’t make an appearance. He had an annoying habit of not doing
what he said he was going to do, especially since Sam had disappeared.
He would sometimes be radio silent for days at a time and Dean never could get it out of him, where he had been.
Before he had more of a chance to wonder where his Dad was, the door to the bar swung open and Jess, Jo and Ash walked in.
“Great.” Dean mutters under his breath as Ash approaches and slaps him on the back.
“Dude, I am so glad that you showed up tonight.”
Dean rolls his eyes. “Yeah, of course I showed up, what with all the plans we didn’t make.”
Ash chuckles loudly and Dean cringes.
He’s only saved when Jess grabs his arm and pulls him to the only free table in the place.
They both take a seat and sit awkwardly for what feels like the longest time.
“So, what’s up?” Dean asks her.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Jess replies. “Its 10 years next month and some of us thought that maybe we could uh… we want to do something.”
Dean smiles wistfully and nods back at her. “Yeah, I guess that would be kind of nice. My mom would really like that.”
Jess nods too and then takes the beer out of Dean’s hand and has a mouthful before giving it back to him.
“I don’t know what we’ll do but I just feel like… I feel like it’s all my fault so I need to do something.”
He reaches over and places his hand on her arm. “Jessica, what happened to him it’s not your fault. It was a freak accident and there was nothing that you could have done
about it.”
“That’s a lie and we both know it,” she tells him. “We should never have been there in the first place.”
Dean shakes his head “Jess, it wasn’t your fault.”
They sit in silence for a moment until Jess moves in the seat. “Dean, what do you think happened to him? I think about it all the time, sometimes I think about it so much that I
feel like I’m going to go crazy but I can never stop it because I don’t have any actual answers.”
Dean thinks about it for a moment, of course he wondered what happened to Sam, because no one ever actually just disappears off the face of the earth, do they?
He’d gone over it a million times, had Sam run away? Had someone taken him from the building?
In ten years there hadn’t been a single sighting of Samuel Winchester, no tips no anonymous calls to the police.
How could that happen?
He glances at Jess and wishes that he could give her an answer but there isn’t one to give.
When he heads back to the bar, John had finally shown up and he and Bobby were sitting at a table near the television screen, some game was playing but he couldn’t hear
it, didn’t care to either.
His line of sight was directed to the back of the bar again, the table that earlier held four people, now held just one, the guy Dean didn’t know the name of.
His curiosity got the better of him and he makes his way over to the table and sits down.
The guy doesn’t move an inch but he does look up at Dean smiles.
“Who are you?” Dean asks. “I keep seeing you around but I don’t know your name.”
The guy smiles again but doesn’t say anything.
“You don’t speak English? You’re deaf and you can’t understand me?”
“I understand you,” the guy replies. “We may have met before, I’ve met a lot of people.”
“Great, you’re one of those people.”
The man cocks an eyebrow at him. “One of those people? I don’t understand.”
“Never mind,” Dean says, shaking his head. “I feel like you’re watching me, were you?”
The man shrugs his shoulders. “I’m watching everyone.”
“Yeah, that ain’t creepy at all.” Dean mutters under his breath.
“Can I ask you why you came over here?” he asks. “You are here with your friends?”
Dean nods back at him. “I came over here cos it felt like you were watching me and yeah I’m here with my friends. See, this place is our local and you’re clearly not, local.”
“A local?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been here before.” he tells Dean.
“Who were the others that were here with you before?” Dean questions him.
“I guess that I could call them my friends but we are more like colleagues.”
“Great.” Dean snorts.
“My name is Cas.”
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him. “Cas? What the hell sort of name is that?”
“I would say it’s more heavenly than hellish.”
Dean stares back at him, he has no idea what the guy is talking about.
“Would you like another drink?”
Dean glances down at the almost empty bottle and then looks back up at Cas. “Sure, if you’re buying.”
“I am.” Cas replies.
“Great,” Dean says. “But uh… beer, not whatever it is that you’re drinking.”
Cas glances down at the glass. “I’m unsure of what this even is, the bar tender suggested it.”
Dean raises an eyebrow again. “I bet she did.”
Cas gets up from the table and makes his way to the bar.
Dean looks around, a few more people have arrived and they’re packed around the tables, he can see Jess’ blonde hair through the crowd, she was deep in conversation
with Ash and Bobby.
He glanced around for his father, he was standing at the end of the bar talking to Owen, one of the bartenders.
A few minutes later, Cas returns with the drinks and places a beer down in front of Dean before he takes a seat.
“You really should try one of these green drinks,” Cas tells him. “They’re really not all that bad.”
Dean rolls his eyes. “Thanks, but I’ll stick with beer. I’m not one for appletinis.”
Cas takes a mouthful of his drink and then nods appreciatively to himself. “You are missing out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Dean smirks at him.
They sit in silence for a moment and then Dean turns in the seat to face Cas. “Who are you again?”
“My name is Cas.”
“Yeah, I got that part.” Dean replies.
“Then I’m not sure that I understand what you mean.”
Dean sighs heavily and takes another mouthful of beer. “What do you do?”
“I help people,” Cas explains. “In any way that I can.”
“Wow,” Dean says with mock enthusiasm, eliciting a smile from Cas but then Dean rolls his eyes again. “Care to vague that up for me a little.”
Cas tilts his head and narrows his eyes. “You’re a little strange Dean.”
Dean sits back in his seat. “I hadn’t told you my name yet, so how did you know it?”
Cas points to Ash who’s sitting at a table with Jess and a few other people. “That one there is rather vocal, I saw him greet you when he came in. Also, you are the older
brother of that young man who missing a few years ago, right?”
Dean lowers his gaze to the bottle in his hand. “Yeah, something like that.”
Even 10 years later, everyone still knew who he was, that he was the missing kid’s older brother.
Things like that didn’t happen in Lawrence, it was a smallish town, the crime rate wasn’t exactly… there weren’t a ton of murders or disappearances, everyone knew
everyone, it was just the way it was.
“Dean?”
Dean glances up. “Yeah, sorry what did you say?”
“Well I haven’t said anything in a few minutes,” Cas replies. “Is everything alright?”
Dean takes another pull on the beer bottle before placing it onto the table. “Yeah, it’s good. Just the mention of my brother is all.”
Cas nods back at him and then rests his hand on Dean’s arm. “I’m sorry that I brought it up, it still must be difficult for you.”
Dean shakes his head and stands up.
“You’re leaving?”
“No,” he replies, picking up the bottle and waves it at Cas. “I need another drink. I need a lot of drinks.”
Dean makes his way back to the bar, he stops for a moment to talk to his Dad.
“I thought you were ignoring me.” John says as he slaps Dean on the back causing him to wince.
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Dean says with a shake of his head. “Just… talking to others.”
John notices his empty beer bottle. “You want me to get you another?”
“No, I’m on my way to the bar now,” Dean replies. “You want anything?”
John shakes his head. “I’m good for now.”
Dean squeezes his eyes shut when he hears Ash’s voice ring out.
“I’m sorry,” Jess says as she and Jo step up beside Dean. “I tried to keep him away from you as long as possible.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Dude, was wondering when you were gonna stop macking on that guy in the back of the bar and join us.”
Dean drops his head and sighs heavily.
“Shut the hell up Ash,” Jo tells him. “You’re just jealous that you’ve already been rejected a dozen times tonight.”
“Wait, that ain’t got anything to do with it,” Ash says. “I’m just saying that he would have sex with a trash can if it looked at him right.”
Ash falls against the table as John slaps him across the back of the back of the head and it rocks slightly almost causing several glasses to topple over.
“Well, if the trash can looked anything like that guy you’re talking to…” Jess says with a smile directed at Dean and Ash narrows his eyes. “What? He’s hot.”
“Thanks.” Dean retorts under his breath. “This is exactly what I wanted to happen.”
Grabbing the empty bottle he pushes away from the table and makes his way to the bar. He orders another beer and then he orders another appletini for Cas.
“Really Dean?” Ellen asks with a laugh. “Branching out to appletinis now?”
Dean narrows his eyes and then shakes his head. “Not fucking likely, it’s for Cas.”
Ellen leans across the bar. “Of course, I should have guessed.”
“You should have guessed what?” Dean retorts.
“First look at him should have given it away, he’s definitely your type.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Dean asks.
Ellen smirks back at him. “Nothing.”
“Ellen.”
“Yeah?”
“Bite me.”
Ellen laughs as she makes her way back down the bar and Dean picks up the drinks and heads over to the table.
Cas is still sitting there and he almost lets out a sigh of relief, he’s only drunk half of his drink but Dean places the new glass down in front of him.
“Got you another, hope that’s okay.” Dean says as he takes his seat.
Cas glances up at him, a small smile play across his lips. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
He makes no attempt though at finishing his previous drink and Dean scrunches up his nose and takes a long pull on the beer.
“So you were saying before, that you help people.” Dean says placing the bottle down onto the table. “What do you do exactly?”
Cas finally lifts the drink to his lips and takes a small sip.
“I help people find the things that they have lost,” Cas explains. “And I help them heal from their losses when I can’t.”
Dean stares back at him, he can’t really explain what he’s feeling right now but for some reason it’s almost as if Cas is talking directly about him and about Sam and it sends
a chill down his spine.
“So you’re what…” Dean asks. “Some sort of weird psychologist detective combo or something?”
Cas smiles back at him. “Or something.” He reaches over and places his hand on Dean’s arm which sends a warm tingling sensation through his whole body. “I listen when
people need to talk.”
Dean shakes his head. “I don’t need to talk, thanks.”
“Well if you ever do, I’ll listen.” Cas tells him.
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him at him quickly finishes off his drink.
He wants another, no scratch that, he needs another drink especially after this messed up conversation he was having.
“You shouldn’t drink anymore,” Cas points out. “That is your sixth beer.”
Dean glares back at him, if there was one thing that really got on his nerves, it was when people made comments about his drinking. “You keeping count? Besides, this isn’t
even a start for me.”
“I don’t understand.” Cas replies.
Dean shakes his head. “Of course you don’t understand so don’t worry about it.”
“You drink an awful lot.” Cas says as a fact, not a question.
“You’re incredibly annoying, you know that right?” Dean answers.
Cas shrugs his shoulders. “I have been told that on occasion.”
Dean laughs despite himself. “I don’t give a shit what you say, I’ll drink as much as I damn well want to.”
Dean once again heads to the bar and this time it takes even longer to make his way back to the table and once again he’s surprised to see that Cas is still sitting in the exact
same place, still nursing the exact same drink.
He drops down into the seat and glances over at Cas. “What are you still doing here? Thought you would have left by now.”
“I assumed that you wanted me to stay,” Cas replies. “Did I assume wrong?”
Dean takes a long pull of beer then places it down onto the table, he exhales sharply and then shakes his head. “No, you didn’t assume wrong.”
Cas smiles back at him after that. “Good, I like talking to you, you’re… strange but interesting.”
“I’m strange?” Dean laughs again. “Whatever you say.”
June 18 2008
“Dude, its 2am.” Ash cries out.
He glances at the table to where John and Bobby are still sitting, talking. Jo and Jess were at the table across from him, Jess looked like she was about to fall asleep any
second and even though he could party like it was 1999, he was starting to feel the exhaustion sink in.
“Who are you talking to?” Jo asks Ash.
Ash swivels in the chair to face her and shrugs his shoulders. “Whoever was listening, turns out to be you, where the fuck is Dean at?”
Jo points to the back of the bar and Ash shakes his head.
“Nah, he ain’t been over there for a while now.” Ash replies.
“Then why did you bother to ask?” Jo replies as she brushes a strand of hair out of her eyes.
Ash laughs even though nothing funny was said and Jo cocks an eyebrow at him. “I bet I know where he is.”
Ash pushes his chair back and Jo follows him toward the back of the bar and he reaches out for the door handle leading to the back patio.
There was a young couple sitting at a table near one of the patio heaters talking quietly.
At the back of the patio near a large potted tree, Ash saw Dean standing in front of someone and as they got closer, they could see it was the guy Dean had been talking to
all night and they sure as hell weren’t talking now.
“Yo, Deano. What you doing?”
He could hear Dean sigh from where he was standing and then he spun around, anger flashing in his eyes.
“What do you want Ash?”
Ash waves at the bar. “We’re all heading out now, you want a lift home?”
Dean scrunches up his nose and Ash is pretty sure that he flipped him off. “No thanks.”
Ash wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Got that covered have ya? A ride?”
Ash turns to face Jo who had wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.
“Can you believe that guy?” Ash says with a chuckle. “Told ya he would have sex with anything that moved.”
Jo raises an eyebrow. “You’re just jealous that he won’t have sex with you.”
Ash takes a step back, a slightly disgusted look on his face. “What now?”
Jo shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous, you know that right?” She looks at Dean again. “We really are leaving Dean so if you do want someone to drop you off at home, you’ll
have to come now.”
Dean turns back to Cas and says something that Jo and Ash can’t hear and then looks back at Jo.
“I’m good, thanks anyway Jo.” Dean tells her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jo waves at him. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Wait,” Dean calls out, taking a few steps closer toward them. “Tell John that I’m good.”
Jo smiles to herself. “I’ll make sure that he knows.”
Dean turns to Cas again.
“Are you sure that you don’t want someone to take you home?”
Dean lightly shakes his head. “No, why would I want to do that?”
Cas smiles back at him. “Okay, but I imagine that we can’t stay here for much longer, they will want to close soon.”
Dean shrugs his shoulders. “True, Ellen is kinda a pain in the ass for wanting to shut at a reasonable hour, thought maybe we could go back to my place, I have more beer
there and it’s not too far from here.”
“Then perhaps I should be the one to drive, I feel that you have had far too much to drink.”
Dean cocks an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think so, no one drives my baby but me.”
“Your baby?” Cas asks, one eyebrow raised. “I don’t know what that means.”
Dean shakes his head and reaches into his pocket for the keys, he knows that he can’t drive home, Cas was right, he was way too drunk for that and he doesn’t want to
leave the car parked in the lot but he also doesn’t really want to let anyone else drive.
That didn’t leave him with much of a choice.
Sucking in a deep breath, he holds the keys out to Cas with much hesitation of course. “Fine, you drive but if anything happens to my car…”
Cas takes the keys from him and then motions toward the door. “Shall we?”
Dean slowly opens his eyes and glances around the room, it’s mostly dark, aside from a small shaft of light peeking in through a gap in the curtains.
Rolling onto his side, he looks at the alarm clock. It’s nearly six o’clock and with a heavy sigh, he falls back against the pillows.
Tilting his head to the right, he can see Cas lying there, he’s still fast asleep with one arm draped over the edge
He knew that once again he had had too much to drink and when he feels movement on the bed beside him, he tilts his head to the right and can see Cas lying there, he’s
still fast asleep with one arm draped over the edge of the mattress and his feet just poking out from under the covers.
Closing his eyes again, he can’t help but think about what Ash had said a few weeks earlier, his drinking was getting out of control.
He had a pounding headache and his mouth felt like sandpaper.
Despite the hangover, he smiles to himself when he recalls the events of the previous night.
They had fallen into bed at around three o’clock and for Dean it was the first time in a long time that he didn’t get that gnawing, regretful feeling in his stomach after having
sex.
Cas stirs beside him and he throws his arm out, playfully smacking Dean across the chest.
“What time is it?” Cas asks him.
“Just after six,” Dean tells him. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You should just go back to sleep.”
Cas mumbles something that Dean can’t quite make out so he relaxes against the pillows and closes his eyes.
“If you would prefer me to leave, I would be okay with that.” Cas says a moment later.
Dean lifts his hand and scratches his cheek. “I didn’t say that and if I wanted you to leave, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.”
Cas moves again, propping himself up on one elbow. “What do you mean?”
Dean sighs, mutters something under his breath and then sits up, tucking the pillow behind his back, he tries to get comfortable. “I mean I wouldn’t have brought you here, to
my place. I don’t bring people here Cas, I normally go with them.”
Cas sits up properly now. “Why?”
“What do you mean why?” Dean asks. “I do that so that I can leave without feeling bad.”
Cas shifts again, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not sure that I understand you.”
Dean stares at him. From the single moment they met, Cas had spoken in a way that confused the hell out of him, it was like he had been plucked from the 1940’s or
something. It was like trying to explain everything to a five year old.
“I don’t know how to explain it any differently.” Dean finally says.
“No, that isn’t exactly what I meant. What I was trying to say is that in general, I do not understand most of what you are talking about.”
“Uh, pot meet kettle,” Dean replies. He regrets saying that the instant the words leave his mouth because Cas is looking at him like he has three heads.
“Should I even ask what you mean by that?”
“I wouldn’t.” Dean says with a smirk.
“I’ll stay.” Cas says after a while.
Cas leans over and gives him a quick kiss before he falls back against the pillow and Dean is sure that he’s snoring before he can even react to the kiss.
Shifting on the bed, he tucks his arm under the pillow and closes his eyes.
Drawing in a deep breath he thinks about the events of the last few days, everything from the nightmare fog taking over his house to meeting Cas.
Sometimes his life made zero sense, hell 90% of the time his life made no sense.
Glancing over at Cas again, he wonders what’s gotten into him, he would never in a million years have done this, brought someone to his place.
There was something about him though, an almost familiar feeling that he couldn’t quite place but he knew that it would eventually come to him.
Chapter Four