Wayward Son

Chapter 4

Dean didn't remember going to bed, but that's where he woke up the next morning. He rolled over and squeezed his aching temples between his palms. Flashes of the night before trickled in: whisky in front of the fireplace, Cas telling stories, Sam looking happy. Ruthie's laugh. It had been a good night. Worth a little hangover.

He stumped across the room and pulled on his gray bathrobe before heading down to the kitchen. Sam sat at the table, already dressed and halfway through a plate of bacon and eggs. Sam gestured behind him without looking up from his laptop. "There's more on the stove. Save some for Ruthie."

Dean rubbed his eyes and grabbed a plate. "Where's Cas?"

"Gone. Guess he left after we fell asleep."

"What?" Ruthie stood in the doorway, looking like a child who'd just had her new toy taken away. "He just got here!"

Dean dumped a pile of scrambled eggs onto his plate. "You never know with Cas."

Ruthie took a plate from the cabinet and plucked two strips of bacon from the pan. "Well, I hope he'll come back soon. I like him. I still can't believe I know an angel."

Dean scooped the rest of the bacon onto his plate. "You get used to it."

"Anything on the werewolf?" Ruthie asked Sam.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"How about Cas's mystery Hell fugitive?" Dean asked.

"Well, I don't really know what to look for, but no, nothing that seems big enough."

They joined Sam at the table. "Then at least tell me you found us a case," Dean said.

Sam finished off his orange juice. "Maybe so. This guy, twenty-eight, a newlywed, totally healthy, turned up dead in his own bed a few days ago, all shriveled up."

"Shriveled up?" Ruthie asked.

"That's what it says. No photos online, but this article says people are worried it's some new disease or virus or something. His wife fainted when she found him."

Ruthie shuddered. "That's horrible."

Dean shoveled in another mouthful of eggs. "You thinking witch?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe."

"Cursed object?" Ruthie ventured.

"Could be."

Sam pushed away his empty plate. "What do you think? Should we check it out?"

"Yes," Dean and Ruthie said at once.

Ruthie popped in her last bite of bacon. "I can be ready to go in twenty."

"Make it fifteen," Dean told her. "Let's get the hell outta here."

Ruthie gathered their plates and took them to the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, Sam."

"Where to?" Dean asked him.

Sam looked at his laptop again. He hesitated for a second, then his eyes shot to Ruthie. "Um, it's Boise, actually."

She stiffened, hand frozen with a plate hovering over the sink. She slowly set it down and turned toward them, apprehension etched into every line of her face.

"It's okay if you want to sit this one out," Sam said. "We get it."

She took a deep breath, then shook her head. "No. It's okay. That's all behind me." She gestured around the kitchen and gave them a small smile. "I've got a new life now."