Five Years Later

Chapter Six: The Question

"What the hell are you trying to do here?"

Cas had Jess pinned against the wall, and in any other context, Negan would have beat the shit out of him for assuming such a position. But Cas' intention was none other than to find out why Jess had been lying to him since that night on the stairwell with the cigarettes.

"I'm trying to get Sam back, jerk." Jess pushed Cas away from her, smoothing down her sequined dress self-consciously. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know." Cas moved away from her, fixing his hands back to be hidden by the sleeves of his trench coat. "I don't know why you're asking me, when I was the one who asked you first."

"Gabriel just said—" Jess evaded Cas' rush at her, shooting him a nasty glare. "He said that if you wanted, he can get Dean back for you."

"I don't want Dean." Cas clenched his hands into fists, but they were disguised by his sleeves. "Why won't my brother shut the hell up about it?"

"Because he knows you, Cas." Jess was gentle now in her tone, but her arms were crossed in front of her chest and her eyes were narrowed at him in frustration. "He knows how much you love Dean."

"Loved." Cas spat. "And that's not present tense, as much as you would like to believe it is. You probably have some clever plot cooked up where if I relent and go after Dean, you get something in return."

"You think too highly of me." Jess threw her head back and laughed in surprise. "I couldn't plan something like that if I tried. I'm just repeating what Gabriel told me."

"What does he want me to even do?" Cas hissed, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation. He stood indignantly and would not budge from his position in the argument, but he was still remotely curious as to what his brother, who had disappeared into Heaven so long ago, had to say.

"All he wants you to do is go down to the prison and see Dean." Jess twirled one curl of blond hair around her finger, batting her pretty blue eyes. Cas didn't fall for her charm, finding it misplaced. She was Negan's wife, and everyone knew what happened to guys who messed with his wives. Plus, he didn't find her very lovely, which was perhaps harsh to say, but still true.

"Dean is here?" Cas couldn't restrain his shock as he stood there, a wave of grief overwhelming him. It was both good and bad news: the man he used to love was in the same vicinity as he was, but he wasn't ready to face the consequences of the five years they had spent apart.

"Yes, idiot." Jess rolled her eyes, her arms still crossed. "He's been here for a couple of weeks. Negan has been trying to wear him down to get information about how they got me back from the dead, since he isn't willing to torture me... it wouldn't look good to the rest of the base. That's what Negan told me, anyway."

"Has he... has he mentioned me?" Cas whispered, suddenly choking on his own words. He couldn't bear the mix of emotions that was festering inside of his chest as though he was bursting from the inside out. He was supposed to hate Dean for what he had done and to hate himself as well, and rightly he did so... but there was still part of him that wondered if Dean felt the same way.

"From what I understand, yes." Jess pursed her lips and started heading out the door, swaying with every step she took. "But it doesn't concern you, if you don't want to meet with him anyway."

"Wait." Cas moved toward her, his heart thudding painfully fast. "I am. I mean—"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Cas." Jess had stopped in the doorway, but didn't turn around, her eyes focused on something down the hall. "Just be ready to tell Negan what you've been up to. I'll meet you here at eight, right before curfew ends."