Always

Falling

Dean sat on the floor, still leaning up against the door. His heart was beating just as quickly as it had been before. Dean felt completely elated; he was in a state of never-ending bliss and total happiness. Butterflies danced around inside of Dean's body and he couldn't help but still feel nervous. As Dean said reminisced about the kiss he was overwhelmed by a sense of longing, a longing for Cas. The moment Cas walked out the door Dean had already started missing him. Like a flower yearning for the sun, Dean yearned for Cas. Their connection seemed so profound, so deep, so perfect. Dean's heart ached merely thinking about Cas. There was something about Cas that had captivated Dean from the beginning and Dean still couldn't understand what that was. Dean closed his eyes and the image of Cas appeared immediately; Dean envisioned Cas' eyes that sparkled every time he smiled and how he laughed with his entire body. Dean continued to think about Cas; even thought the moment had ended a while ago Dean couldn't let go of it and he never wanted to.

Dean tried his hardest to keep the memory fresh in his mind as he attempted to make his way to bed. He stumbled over the clothes thrown about the room, still intoxicated from the alcohol. Dean realized just how canned he was; he had trouble focusing on anything and could barely walk. All that had seemed to melt away when Dean was with Cas. Being with Cas had cleared his mind; there was no doubt in Dean's mind that it had been Cas who had created the clarity in his life. It was as if Cas provided the telescope that let Dean gaze upon the awesome heavens above. Cas brought him to that place of beauty and sheer magnificence. Even thinking about Cas seemed to bring clarity to Dean; everything aligned perfectly when Dean was with Cas or even thought about him. As soon as Dean stopped pondering Cas, he fell over. Dean, feeling a bit shocked and dumbfounded, didn't quite comprehend that he had fallen over. Unable to walk in a straight line, or clearly unable to walk at all, Dean admitted defeat and curled into a ball on the ground. He pulled his sheets off the bed and wrapped them around his body. Dean rearranged the dirty clothes so that he had some kind of pillow. Laying on the ground hurt but Dean knew he wouldn't be able to stand up, making this the best option. The hardwood floor was by no means comfortable, but the more Dean thought about Cas, the less he cared about his sleeping position. Dean had a sappy smile spread across his face as he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The loud ringing of the telephone woke Dean up and its sound pierced the quiet morning air. Dean sat straight up. The blood rushed to his head and he felt dizzy as he tried to stand. But Dean managed to get on his feet and hobble over to the phone. Still somewhat hungover from the night before, Dean had to rest his elbows on the table to keep himself from collapsing. He picked up the earpiece on the final ring and sighed into the speaker.

"Hello?" Dean's voice was low and raspy. He felt a tickle in his throat as he spoke.

"Winchester." Vaughn. Vaughn was on the other end. Dean looked at the time and sure enough, it was on the dot.

"Vaughn."

"Where have you been the past week, huh?" Vaughn sounded somewhat annoyed.

"Uh, I had... family stuff. My brother needed me for something since our dad left town for a few days." Dean didn't like lying to Vaughn because he knew Vaughn could easily find out the truth.

"Huh. Well, as long as you're back now we're good."

"Yeah, yeah we're good."

"All right. I've got another job for you. Meet me in fifteen minutes, or else I'll give the job to Don. You don't want me to have to do that, do you?"

"No, sir. I'll be down there in fifteen." Dean gently placed the earpiece down and put the phone back. He didn't want Vaughn to give him a job today; out of any day Vaughn could give Dean a job, this was not it. Dean reluctantly suited up and gave himself a quick shave. He didn't look his best but at least he was presentable. Dean ran out the door and made his way over to the deli just in time. Before entering, Dean smoothed out his jacket and straightened his tie. As he opened the door, the familiar sound of the bell dinged. Vaughn was seated at his usual end of the table. He was wearing a blue suit and a red tie. Vaughn was staring at Dean and Dean felt the stare strike him in his heart. It was as if Vaughn knew something. Dean was almost sure that was impossible, but barely anything was impossible with Vaughn.