The Year of Redemption

Chapter 35: Mission Bells

Castiel had transported Dean back to the cabin, then left before dawn. Dean couldn't imagine sleeping. His mind was still racing, filled with all of the stories and revelations of the night. It was filled with thoughts, but it was also filled with feelings. He couldn't stop thinking about Cas. Could they really be that connected? It was as if the angel was an extension of himself, as if one couldn't live without the other. Not only that, but things just felt right whenever Cas was around.

It was these feelings that made Dean uneasy, that set him on edge. He didn't know what to make of them. Dean willed his mind to slow down. He needed fresh air. He needed a task to focus on. The hunter went outside and breathed in deeply. It was the end of summer, and the trees were making ready to change colors and let go of their leaves. An autumn chill was starting to penetrate the mountain air.

Dean had been to Minnesota in the winter. He knew that if he were to stay here at the cabin, he would need a lot of firewood to make it through the cold and snowy days and nights. Dean circled the house, finding a rusty upturned wheelbarrow and a rake that wasn't in much better condition. Picking them both up, he headed into the woods to collect brush that he could use to start fires in the fireplace. He dumped each wheelbarrow into a small shack that stood beside the house. The shack was actually in pretty good condition, save for a wide crack in the roof that he would have to patch sometime before the first snowfall of winter hit.

Once the sun had risen completely over the trees, Dean hopped in the Impala and headed off into town. He rolled the windows down so the cool morning air would provide at least a small distraction from his thoughts. In town, he grabbed a hamburger and loaded up at the grocery store, dreading the prospect of actually having to cook for himself. This domestic life is gonna be the death of me, he thought.

He didn't know why, but he was strangely ok with staying at the cabin for the time being. His hunting trips before Cas had come back had felt drastically different than they used to. They were lonely. He was accustomed to having Sammy, or at least having some sort of partner on his hunts. It wasn't the same going out by himself. He didn't get the same thrill, the same satisfaction that he used to. It was just a job, just a way to occupy his time.

Dean was content remaining at the cabin and just picking up any jobs that happened to come up in town – at least for now. He grabbed a newspaper from a stand at the cash register and finished checking out. Next, he hit up the hardware store for some lumber to fix the shack. Then he brought all his goods back home and unloaded them into the house.

Dean was munching on a hamburger and reading the newspaper at the kitchen table when Cas showed up in the doorway. Dean glanced up at him, then looked away uncomfortably. The angel nodded at the sink, which was piled with dishes that were probably still left over from weeks ago, remnants of lasagna and other mysterious food caked on them. "Your dishes could really use a wash," he stated, adding, "you know, cleanliness used to be one of the hallmarks of the divine."

"Yeah, yeah, cleanliness is close to godliness," Dean mumbled, returning to his newspaper.

"A saying which actually does have its origins in truth," Cas observed. He watched Dean, noticing the hunter's standoffish demeanor. He was cold again, unfeeling, distracted. In just hours, Dean had reverted back to this impassive side of himself.

Castiel was unsure what to say next, and he was relieved when Dean spoke up instead. "A couple hikers just outside of town went missing last week," the hunter said, laying down the newspaper and pointing to one of the articles. "They just found some blood in the woods that matches the DNA sequences of two of the hikers."

Cas walked over and studied the article. "That could be anything from bears to wolves to stupid animal hunters who are trying to make the most of open season," he commented dismissively.