Late Night Hunting

Chapter 8: Waiting Game

 Cas got to the top of the steps and walked up to Dean, giving him a huge, gentle hug. Dean stiffened for a moment before wrapping his strong, long arms around Cas and hugging him back, grinning into his shoulder the whole time. "Thanks for this, Dean." Cas said, smiling up at Dean as they both stepped back. "I really appreciate it. These dreams have haunted me for so long, they've started to invade the real world. That's why I was in the bathroom at the movie theater so long."  He confessed, shuffling his feet and looking at the ground. Dean looked at him, a small smile on is face that Cas couldn't see. "I know, Cas. I've had those nights too. You aren't the only one, not by a long shot." He looked up at Dean, a relieved look on his face that he wasn't alone in his realm of nightmares. Just then the chill in the night air hit them full force. Cas shivered and said "Can we go inside now? I'd rather not become a snowman or catch pneumonia." Dean chuckled and said "Yeah, yeah. Quit whining, ya baby." He unlocked the door and stepped inside, Cas right behind him. He closed and locked the door and deadbolt behind them. "Home sweet home." Dean said sarcastically, flopping down face-first onto one of the beds. Cas looked at him, chuckling, and poked him in the ear. Dean groaned and rolled onto his side so he could actually see Cas. Then, out of nowhere, Cas imagined himself sleeping in the same room as Dean and began to blush. Dean noticed and said "Hey, you ok over there? Not having any....Interesting or "compromising" thoughts, are you Cas?"  Dean was clearly trying very hard not to laugh as Cas muttered a quiet "No.." and blushed some more, setting Dean off.  He was doubled over and crying tears of laughter by the time Cas realized something. That one nagging, annoying thought that had been bugging him all day..... He'd thought of every scenario possible, hadn't he? But no....... Then it hit him. There it was, clear as day. Dean knew the answer. He knew why this girl was calling him her father, and why he was having all these nightmares. Why haven't I thought of this before?, Cas thought, turning over all he knew in his mind. He didn't blame Dean of course, even though he'd been lying to Cas for a while now. Cas knew that Dean was just trying to protect him. But.. Protect him from what? Now, that was the question. The absence of Dean's laughter and snorting jolted him back to reality. He hadn't realized it, but he'd gone and sat down on the other bed, to the left of Dean's. Now he looked over to Dean's bed to find his best friend lying on his stomach snoring, his arm flung over the side of the bed, just dangling there. Dean had the most peaceful, relaxed look on his face......It was  the best thing Cas had seen all day. He had almost wanted to question Dean about what he knew, but his friend was clearly exhausted from their long, emotional day. Cas sighed a happy sigh, shaking his head and smiling. Dean just looked so......Childlike. His face was relaxed and he was almost smiling in his sleep. That's a good sign, Cas thought, grinning like an idiot at how Dean looked, when suddenly he muttered something in his sleep, his face tightening. Cas slowly stood up and crouched beside him so he could hear what he was muttering. He held his breath when Dean's face scrunched up again and he murmured in Cas's ear, "Cas! Come back here, you sonuva bitch! Don't run away from me! Please! Please......." Cas staggered back in shock, accidentally stubbing his toe on the bedside table. He was about to yell out when he realized Dean hadn't woken up. So he cursed under his breath and shook Dean slightly, saying "Dean, wake up! You're having a nightmare! Wake up!" After a few  more shoves, Dean muttered a sleepy "Cas......" and turned over. Cas got fed up when Dean was still asleep and refused to be woken up. He gave up and walked into the bathroom so he could shower and be alone with his thoughts. He felt filthy and tired, as well as hungry and scared of what tomorrow would bring. He shut the door behind him silently and peeled off his clothes before turning on the hot shower as quietly as he could. He stepped into the hot water gratefully, sighing as warmth spread throughout his entire body, all the way from his face to his toes. He rubbed his face and blinked a few times, getting the water out of his eyes quickly. He washed his raven hair and made sure that his entire body was clean before he stepped out of the shower and dried off speedily, careful to not make any noises. It was then that he realized that he hadn't planned on spending the night, so he hadn't packed any extra clothes to take with him this morning. He sighed and grumbled to himself, "I really need to be more prepared for these things." He tiptoed out of the bathroom, holding the towel tightly around his waist so that if Dean happened to wake up he wouldn't be caught buck naked. He crept over to the chest of drawers to the right of Dean's bed and slowly opened the top drawer. Cas was just closing the top drawer when Dean muttered, "No....NO.....CAS, NO! Don't leave me! Don't.... don't leave......please....." Cas flinched and warily walked around the bed to where Dean's face was. Cas almost choked when he saw tears on his face. Dean was crying in his sleep, his face contorted with pain and sadness before it quickly went back to being peaceful. Cas felt sad. There was nothing he could do at the moment, so he went on the hunt for some clothes again. He found a bunch of Dean's in the second drawer down, and he was almost the exact same size as Cas was, so the clothes would fit him almost perfectly. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers and one of Dean's old, baggy AC/DC t-shirts before quietly making his way to the bathroom. He quickly pulled off the towel and shoved the boxers and t-shirt on before killing the bathroom light, plunging the motel room into darkness. He carefully made his way over to Dean, checking once more to be sure he wasn't crying again. When he saw that Dean was finally sleeping soundly, he walked over to the other bed and crawled under the covers. He had so many questions and so little answers, but he was exhausted and really needed sleep. He curled up, closing his eyes, and was asleep within seconds. Then a nightmare forced it's way into his peaceful sleep.This time it was a man with sparkling blue eyes and ebony hair. He had wings with feathers as black as a raven's wing, and a long, tan, dirty trench-coat. He approached Cas and said "Hello. My name is-" but before he could finish, a bright white light glowing blue around the edges appeared, and then he was gone. Cas called out to him for a few seconds, but it was no use. He got no response. Then, out of nowhere, a huge, black, red-eyed dog appeared, and before Cas could even scream, he was swallowed up into the blackness.