In The Eyes of The Confessor | A Destiel Fanfiction | Supernatural

Chapter 16 - epilogue

Walking back to the cabin, Dean wondered if it really was all over. He looked at the rest of the group as they walked. Sam and Jess were holding hands, their shoulders rubbing against each other as they put one foot in front of the other. Charlie and Jo were walking side-by-side, glancing at each other and smiling every now and then, as if they had to keep checking that each other were still alive. Cas limped gently next to Dean, and he kept looking over his shoulder back towards the lake, as if he was worried they'd left something behind.

"You okay?" Dean asked, and placed a hand on Cas' shoulder. He looked back at Dean, and tears were brimming his eyes. Dean felt a flash of anxiety electrify him.

"I just..." Cas' voice wobbled, and Dean sucked in a breath. "I just really want it to be over. I want to go home."

Dean pulled Cas into his body and wrapped his arms around the man protectively. Even though they had just faced up to Christopher, it was only now that Cas looked the most vulnerable. He looked so tired and worn out.

The rest of the group had stopped, realising that Dean and Cas were lagging behind. Charlie was the first to step forward, also wrapping her arms around Cas. Jess was the next to join, then Sam, and then Jo. They all stood there, in the middle of the forest, hugging.

From under all the bodies, Dean could feel the tension in Cas' shoulders loosen and he let go of Cas, the rest of the group noticing the movement and also disbanding from the tight hug.

Cas had a smile on his face now, and looked a little less emotionally destroyed.

"Thank you." He said, with a shy smile. "It's nice to know I have such a supportive group of friends around me."

"Of course, Cas." Sam grinned, clapping Cas on the shoulder. "We're family."

Dean thought he would never want to look at the cabin again, let alone step inside. But when they emerged off the path in the trees and into the small front garden of the cabin, it didn't feel daunting anymore. It was simply just a cabin in the woods. Albeit, a slightly now-destroyed cabin in the woods.

The group trudged back indoors, and Dean noticed the cardboard that Charlie and Jo had attempted to stick over the smashed windows was now laying abandoned on the floor. The warm sunlight flowed into the room alongside the fresh morning air. Everyone gravitated towards the living room, and Dean followed, curiosity getting the better of him. When he grew close enough, he saw what they were all looking at.

The fireplace was lit, and the flames licked steadily at the logs in the hearth.

Cas glanced from the fireplace to Dean, confusion swimming on his face.

"It's warm." He said, and Dean stepped a little closer, reaching out his hands.

True enough, the fire was warm. It made such a huge difference. It was only now that Dean realised just how cold the cabin was before. The addition of a warm, burning fire in the heart of the cabin just made everything seem so much better. He let out a sigh, and it felt as though that fire was a sign that everything really was over.

Dean looked over his shoulder in the direction of the study. The others did the same. The door was there, standing solitarily against the wall. It wasn't threatening or daunting. It was just a door, but it was there. And it confirmed to them all that what they'd just experienced hadn't been a collective figment of their imagination. Somehow it told them that it had all been true. No one dared to open the door, let alone step foot inside. No one said a word about it. They silently acknowledged it, and moved on.

They didn't need to have a conversation about it: they all seemed to have a silent agreement to leave. They collected their things, kicking away stray pieces of debris that lay on the hard wooden flooring as they went. Once again, they all stood by the front door to the cabin, all looking at each other expectantly.