Revelations

The Past And Future

The case was supposed to be as simple as ever.

They identified the shifter in less than an hour and then suddenly after trailing the petite blonde down an alleyway, she disappeared without a trace. Then to make matters worse, the Impala was conveniently stolen and Dean's entire mood shifted into a dangerous one that Sam and Cas feared more than anything.

"Dammit!" he kept pacing the space where Baby had been parked, emerald eyes flashing everywhere. "One of us should have waited in the car! Son of a bitch!"

Cas took a tentative step towards him, and yet, he dared not touch the other man. Sometimes when Dean was in a furious mood, Cas really couldn't reach him. No one could. Talking to him would probably unearth an outburst that would end up in the exchange of heated words; something he never wanted to happen easily between the two of them. Now that Dean's most prized possession was stolen in the wind by the shifter, he had shifted into a scary monster himself. And it took every ounce of energy within Cas' soul to keep a considerable distance away from Dean.

"We will find her," he said instead, choosing a soft, measured tone.

Sam sent Cas a sympathetic look because he obviously identified the internal struggle the other man was experiencing by choosing to distance himself.

"She couldn't have gotten far," the taller Winchester supplied. "I'll head up down the street that way," he gestured towards the west. "Cas, you could take the other way and Dean..."

"I know where the hell to go," the hunter said gruffly. Fists clenched, he jogged down the alleyway, and not too long after, swung himself over the low concrete fence. He disappeared as the leaves rustled in the trees, chased each other on the pavement and around Cas' shoes.

Half an hour later, Sam found Baby resting in the shade of a maple tree five blocks away, not too far from an abandoned house with a FOR SALE sign in front. There was no sign of the shifter. In fact, that particular neighborhood was eerily quiet, the lawns unkept and empty windows staring back at him. He collected the keys from the dash, hopped in with a frown and sped off, never sparing a second more because it was too easy.

Why would someone park the car and leave the keys in plain sight?

If they meant to steal it then why not head further away than five blocks? Strange enough, after doing a thorough search of the glove compartment, the trunk and under the seats, Sam realized that the idiot had stolen their fake IDS. The motive was clearer now. The damn shifter was hoping to impersonate one of them and after batting through his memories, Sam remembered that the only person the shifter had touched was Cas.

He alerted Dean immediately. And then, he called Cas who had suddenly found a litter of kittens behind a shed and was trying to relocate them to a warmer spot in someone's yard. The man was literally a pet magnet; and very soon, they would more than likely be adopting some kind of furry ball into the bunker. Sam didn't mind really. He loved dogs and cats. But Dean...Dean would take some getting used to.

As Sam tried to find the burger joint his brother had suggested they all meet up at, he wondered about a few things. He couldn't help it. Not really. Because his brother's wellbeing was first and foremost his biggest concern. Getting Dean back on his feet after he had been terribly shaken by love was a painful occurrence to witness. Especially when his brother had literally fallen down into a pit so deep, he couldn't even crawl out of the rubble by himself. But he seemed to be getting better as the days went by.

Sam found him staring off into the distance at times, but Dean was doing pretty okay. He had been glowing. His complexion wasn't pale anymore. No longer did he lock himself up in his room all day. But he ventured out into the War Room or sought out Cas in the library. The two of them would choose a book, and sit quietly in a corner with Dean's head tucked into the crook of Cas' shoulder and Cas turning the pages slowly. It was so amazing. The sight was honestly pure and beautiful.