There Was A Time -DeanXCas

Chapter 7 - Blinding Lover

The day of what would have been Sam's and Jess's wedding - the day Dean was supposed to meet his soul mate - he walked out of the guest bedroom and found Sam and Jess sitting at the table, talking quietly. Over the past week Dean had slowly gotten used to seeing the brightness around them (and not just them - it seemed like every human Dean came into contact with had some version of it), not to mention the shining red cord that tied them together. He couldn't be certain, but based on what he'd seen around other people he was pretty sure Sam's suspicion about him and Jess being soul mates was correct.

Dean sat down at what was quickly becoming his place, right across from Jess, and glanced between them. The identical looks of innocence that he was met with didn't exactly fill him with confidence. "Something wrong?"

"I found a hunt," said Sam, picking up his tablet and showing the screen to Dean. It was filled with a list of online articles about a neighboring town. Dead animals, weird weather patterns, crop circles... it was like a primer on how to find a demon. Dean raised an eyebrow skeptically. They usually had to work to find hunts since most supernatural creatures were trying to hide, not be right out in plain sight.

"I dunno, Sammy. Sure it's not a coincidence?" he said, snagging a muffin. Jess had turned out to be one hell of an amazing baker, which had shot her up several points in Dean's already considerably high opinion.

"I think it's worth checking out," Sam replied.

Sometimes it was easier to give in, and the kid probably had a point. Dean shrugged and took a bite of his muffin. Mmm, banana walnut. "Okay. We can go tomorrow."

"Actually, I think we should go today."

And there it was, the crux of the matter. He sighed inwardly. Sam was determined that Dean wasn't going to spend the day hiding under the covers and avoiding his soul mate - Sam's phrasing, not his. It wasn't hiding to not want to run around outside all day, was it? His brother just didn't know what it was like. He already had Jess, and even if someone else turned out to be his soulmate he still wanted to be with her. Dean didn't have any of that. All he had were some useless fantasies that, in about ten hours, were probably going to be torn apart.

"Sammy -"

"He's right, Dean. You should go today," said Jess, leaning forward and putting her hand on Dean's arm. Her eyes were bright and serious. "Think about it. You guys are hunters, so you should treat today like you would any other day. We know your soul mate isn't a demon, so maybe it's another hunter. Or an innocent person you're going to rescue. Maybe you won't meet him or her at all today," she added knowingly, which was something that had only occurred to Dean three days ago, but which had been bubbling in the back of his head ever since. It did happen sometimes.

"Jess!" Sam said.

"What? I doubt that's going to happen, but either way. You should go. I know you well enough to know by now that if you don't go, and those demons do something to that town, you're never going to forgive yourself. That's not the kind of thing you want on your shoulders for the rest of your life, is it?"

She was right, damn her. If there were any other decent hunters that Dean trusted within driving distance, he'd have gladly passed the job off. But he couldn't think of anyone off the top of his head. He scowled at her, grudgingly impressed when she just smirked back. If that conversation had been left up to Sam, they probably would have eventually gone on the hunt - but not without it devolving into a fight first, leaving both of them too pissed off to talk to each other.

"Fine," he muttered. "We'll go after I'm done eating."

"Take your time," Jess said, all smiles now, and leaned over to peck Sam on the mouth. "I've got to run. I have an appointment to get some hairstyles tested."