The Year of Redemption

Chapter 36: Innocent

A little ways down the road, Dean pulled over into a gravel turnout and shut the Impala off. He turned to Cas, suddenly vehement. "Mind telling me what the hell just happened?"

Cas was a little shocked by Dean's sudden intensity. "I am not positive," he replied, "but I believe the wendigo knew we were coming and set a trap for us."

"A bomb. The wendigo planted a bomb. Ok. So all of that was useless?" Dean's hands were still on the steering wheel, gripping it tight. He looked over at Cas beseechingly.

The angel removed something from his pocket. "I found this," he suggested, showing it to Dean. It was a diamond-shaped necktie pin that had the initials "HM" on it, along with the colors red and purple. "It was laying on one of the stairs. It might have fallen off of the wendigo before he had fully transformed from a human to a monster."

"Damn it, Cas, why did you stop to pick up a stupid necktie pin?!" Dean demanded, too agitated to understand how the pin could help them in any way. "We almost were blown into smithereens, both of us!"

"If we figure out what 'HM' is, we might be able to identify who the wendigo is – or was, at least – which could tell us where else he's hiding," Cas explained calmly.

Dean was still flustered with the angel. "You were mortal in there, Cas. You could've gotten yourself killed," he stated hotly.

"Mortality never seemed to stop you," Cas retorted, a bit surprised by his own reaction. Dean's recklessness bothered him much more than he'd ever admitted before.

"Haven't I ever told you not to do what I do?" Dean shot back. "I'm a terrible role model. I'm like the stupid moth who keeps flying towards the light even though it's burning my wings off. I don't set a good example for the other moths, or for you."

Cas stared at him blankly, still holding the necktie pin between his fingers. Several long seconds passed. Neither of them was willing to say exactly what was on their mind, and the tension of unspoken words buzzed in the air between them.

Finally, Dean let out a sigh. "We might as well figure out what 'HM' stands for now that we have it," he admitted, holding his hand out for the pin. Cas placed it in his hand and watched as Dean turned it over, carefully inspecting it, tracing its engraving. He handed it back to the angel and turned on the engine, then pulled out of the turnout.

"This isn't a normal case, is it?" Dean asked, glancing over to Cas in the passenger seat.

The angel shook his head slightly. "No, it's not," he muttered quietly.

"Wendigos shouldn't be traveling alone," Dean pointed out.

"And monsters shouldn't know Enochian," Cas added.

They both exchanged looks. "So this wendigo, he's in bed with angels too?" Dean asked.

Castiel tried to hide his confusion over the expression Dean had used. Instead, he attempted to play along. "Or he might be laying down and resting with demons," he said.

"Sleeping, Cas," Dean corrected, trying to hold back a smile.

"What?"

"He might be sleeping with demons," the hunter clarified, "not 'laying down and resting.'" He said these last words in a mocking tone of voice and, again, hid his smile from the angel.

"Monsters don't sleep," Castiel pointed out, cocking his head to the side.

"It's an expression, Cas," the hunter explained. "Sleeping with someone... It's like when you have sex with a certain person to get something from them – a promotion or a better job. You 'sleep your way to the top.'"