"To save all... we must risk all."
- Friedrich SchillerImmediately after the puke fiasco, the twins exited the motel room together, keeping stride easily even though they were apart nearly a foot in height. An early morning chill lingered underneath the slowly-brightening sky. The world was mostly still asleep.
Dean waited for them by the Impala—alone with crossed arms—and when Alex's face asked a silent, slightly-worried 'where's Cas?' Dean nodded toward the side of the motel at a neatly trimmed flowerbed you were not supposed to disturb. Cas was there, doing exactly that, selecting and then plucking flowers carefully. Dean threw a hand out briefly toward the angel as a curious Alex and Sam joined him at the car. The oldest Winchester let out a vaguely pissed exhale from his nostrils. "So we got serious stuff to do and he's... that." While Dean crossed his arms again with a vaguely surly look across his sleep-deprived face, Sam and Alex watched Cas with similarly soft, amused expressions as the bent over angel in a trench coat chose several more blooms and then straightened.
He saw his audience and hesitated a moment, then with a look of determination, he approached the Winchesters. Cas held out a bouquet of about five multi-colored flowers to Alex. "For you," he said, appearing hopeful and even a little apologetic.
He'd been in such a hurry thirty seconds ago to 'not keep Dean waiting' and now he was... picking flowers? Well, as nonsensical as it was, it was still hella cute in any universe and Alex's smile spread despite the nagging sickness and fatigue. "Uh... thanks." She took them, looked at them a couple seconds and then, struck by a silly idea, plucked a pink one out as a trollish smile played. She perched the flower behind Cas's ear and a grin broke at the confused face that looked back at her. "Pink is your color, Cas," she teased, barely able to keep from laughing at the sight of him standing there all serious with a pink flower dotting the side of his head. At the complimenting tone, Cas looked pleased, if still slightly confused.
Dean was disgruntled. "Good lord, Cas, don't let her do that to you."
Cas's confusion grew. "Why not?" He squinted his eyes. "I would let her do anything to me."
Sam snorted and coughed at that statement and politely tried to cover over laughter even as Dean rolled his eyes. "TMI," Dean mumbled, glaring at the flower. And then, apparently he couldn't stand it anymore. "You look ridiculous," he declared, then snatched the flower off of his friend and tossed it away—he should have tossed it the other way, because Alex reacted like she was playing sports and made a side lunge, caught the flower deftly, and then made to put it in Dean's hair. All in the span of a second. Dean leaned back fast with his hands up in defense. "Hey! I draw the line at flowers!" he barked.
Alex feigned surprise. "Oh, do you?" she challenged coyly, letting the flower spin between her forefinger and thumb. A positively devious smile began to twitch on her mouth. "You don't remember summer of ninety-two...?"
Dean was rendered aghast, then quickly irritated. "No." The way he said no with so much emphasis gave away the fact that he was full of shit.
Alex just stuck her nose in the flower but it couldn't hide her basically evil smile. Sam, never one to miss much that was written between the lines, was totally amused and it made him look years younger and healthier. "Oh I am gonna need to hear all about this," he said to his sister.
Face as flat as a cutting board, Dean shot his brother a look. "No, you're not, now who's ready to hit the road?" He thunked the top of the car twice, closing the subject and trying to look tough. "Load up, gang."

YOU ARE READING
Song Remains the Same
RomanceFor Alex Winchester, normal has never been in the equation. Mute since the nursery fire, she grew up on the road chasing ghosts with her brothers and father. When her voice is inexplicably restored and the angel Castiel appears claiming to be her gu...