A Dark Path

Part 1

Dean was rearranging the clothes on his bed as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened...as if he hadn't turned into a demon...as if he hadn't spent six months with Crowley...as if he hadn't killed a human...as if he hadn't chased his brother down the bunker's halls with a hammer and a crazed grin. That was the way Dean Winchester was, though. No matter what happened to him, once it was done with, he moved on. Or at least, he pretended to. 

Cas watched from the doorway, wondering if Dean could sense his presence and was simply just ignoring him, or if he was too engrossed in acting like everything was going to be okay. Either way, Cas was thankful for the brief moment of respite, to simply watch his closest friend before having to leave. Truth be told, any moment alone with Dean was a moment Cas was thankful for. Even when they were surrounded by trouble and about to face darkness, there was something to being next to the hunter. Too often, they were on the run, or on a hunt, or on opposite sides, and the angel missed the days when he could enjoy the comfortable companionship of the man he has rescued from Hell.

"What's up Cas?" Dean finally acknowledge his presence, though he didn't turn around to face him.

It only took a second for the angel to remember that "What's up" did not mean Dean was asking about the ceiling, but rather about what was on his mind. Bluntly, he replied, "I think it would be wise if you take a break from hunting for awhile...after everything that had happened."

"Yea."

Cas frowned at the agreement, hating the defeat in the hunter's voice. This wasn't the Dean he knew. Dean would have laughed at Cas' concerns, maybe told him to F*** off with a casual shove, or deny that there was anything wrong that requirement him to take a break. He was a stubborn hunter after all, and while it was often an annoying trait, it was also an admirable one. 'No,' Cas vaguely thought to himself, 'the real Dean would never act so passive'. Then again, Dean had changed, and not for the best.

Wanting to show his support for his friend's predicament, Cas moved forward to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but the second it was there, Dean moved past him. "I'll be fine. You take care of yourself Cas." Then he made his way out into the hall and towards the kitchen. 

'I'll be fine'. It was such a Dean response to everything. Usually, though, it was said as if everything would be fine, and Cas had always found hope in those words. For even though he knew Dean was rarely fine, he also knew the eldest Winchester was strong enough to overcome anything. It was heartbreaking to hear 'I'll be fine' in a tone that clearly gave way to the sense that nothing at all was fine. 

Following the hunter's lead, Cas headed through the halls of the bunker, but rather than saying goodbye to the boys in the kitchen, he went straight to the front door. The boys didn't need him anymore now that Dean was cured of being a demon. What Dean needed now was his brother, a reminder that someone still needed him and wanted him, a reminder that he still had family to hold him tight to this world. 

No, what Cas needed to do now was find a way to get rid of the Mark of Cain altogether, so nothing like the last six months would ever happen again. He would search the ends of the world, from Heaven to Hell, for a way to bring his friend back to the way he was at the start. Back to beautiful, bottle-stained green eyes. Back to easy smile and cheesy jokes. Back to a brilliant soul that shone brighter than the sun of Sagittarius, even in the depths of Hell. 

With this purpose in mind, Cas got into his bumble-bee of a car and drove away.