Just so we are all on the same page, the "Present Day" is the day that S08E12 aired. (January 30th) :)

A Feather for my Thoughts

PRESENT DAY

Dean woke up with a startle. Not a natural startle, like you have just fallen down in a dream, but the startle you get when someone violently shakes you awake.

"Dean! Dean, wake up!" Sam shouted frantically.

"No, Sammy. Go away," Dean said, half asleep and annoyed. He turned back over and closed his eyes.

"Dean, seriously. Henry's gone," Sam said, more calm now, but still panicked.

"What? What do you mean he's gone? He was here last night," Dean said. He was standing up now. He walked away from Sam and out the door of the motel room. A few minutes later, he returned, slamming the door behind him.

"He took the angel feather. He's going to go back to his time. We need to find him. Now." Sam looked at Dean curiously.

"Dude. Why did you have an angel feather in the impala?"

"Never mind, Sammy," Dean snapped. "It's none of your business. Let's go, we have to find Henry before he screws everything up."

The brothers quickly changed into semi clean clothes, and they left the motel.

6 DAYS EARLIER

Sam was inside the motel room doing research. That's all he ever did these days. They weren;t even on a case, and he was still doing research.

"Hey, Sam, can't we do something other than sit here all night? We finally have a rare day with no cases, and we have done nothing but sit here all day. I'm bored," Dean complained. He hated being cooped up almost as much as he hated working.

"I'm trying to find us a case, Dean. Stop complaining."

Dean grunted in reply and downed the rest of the whisky in his glass.

"I'm going to get some air," Dean stated before leaving the room, unintentionally slamming the door on his way out.

Dean was sitting on the hood of the Impala, looking at the stars. Although he would never admit it to anybody, he actually loved looking at the stars. It was relaxing, even in the parking lot of a cheap motel. Dean was surprised that, after being outside alone for ten minutes, Sam hadn't come looking for him, to make sure that he was still breathing; Which he was, he just wanted to do something. Was it really so much to ask to have a night with no work, no research, and a lot of alcohol? Dean leaned back on the windshield of the Impala and crossed his feet. Dean found himself thinking about Cas, out of nowhere. 'Maybe Cas can entertain me,' he thought. Then, he found himself praying.

"Hey, Cas. I know you can hear me. Come on down and talk to me."

Almost immediately, Dean heard the fluttering of wings.

"Hello, Dean. What is wrong?" Cas asked, looking at the hunter curiously.

"Ah, nothing's wrong man. I'm just bored. Come sit," Dean said, patting the empty part of the Impala's hood next to him. Cas accepted the invitation and sat down next to Dean.

"You guys aren't on a case…Why did you call me here?" Cas asked. Dean and Sam don't usually call Castiel unless they really need him, so he was confused as to why he was there.

"I'm bored," Dean said, leaning back down on the windshield. He tugged on Cas's trench coat, which the angel took as a gesture to do the same.

"I don't understand, Dean. What do you want me to do?"

Dean laughed under his breath. "I want you to dance around like an idiot for my entertainment," he said sarcastically. Cas looked at him through the corner of his eye, and Dean could tell that Cas didn't know it was a joke. His smile faded, and he stopped laughing.

"What are you talking about, Dean?" Cas asked, confused as to his reasons for being there.

"Never mind, man. Let's talk," Dean said simply. Cas was silent for a minute.

"What are we talking about, Dean?"

"Anything. You start. What's on your mind, Cas?"

Again, Cas was silent. He tensed up a little bit. He didn't want to say what his on his mind. Castiel wasn't good at sharing feelings. It was mostly because he wasn't supposed to have feelings. But around Dean, he did. He just didn't know how to talk about it, or even if he should talk about it. It was Dean, after all. He probably wouldn't return the feelings, so why talk about them?

"Hey," Dean said. "You okay, man?" The angel looked at the hunter. He realized that he must have been silent for some time, or Dean wouldn't have asked if he was okay.

"No, I am not okay. I need your help, I guess."

"Well, that's a first. Dean Winchester, at your service. What can I do ya for?"

Cas felt warmth rush to his face at Dean's statement. He gulped as he thought about what he was going to say. After some debate with himself, he sighed through his nose, and then he spoke.

"Well, there's this…person. A person that I know. Whenever I am around them, I have a strange sensation throughout myself. Like a kind of warmth. It's strange and unusual. It's strange yet good."

Dean sat up on his elbows. "Ooh, who's the lucky lady?" he asked through a small chuckle.

"It's not a woman, per say, Dean," Cas said nervously. Dean sat up all the way.

"Hey, Cas. You know you can tell me. You're my best friend, I wouldn't judge you for anything. You know that." He put a hand on the angel's shoulder for reassurance. Cas blushed.

"I will be right back, Dean." And with that, there was the flutter on wings, and Cas was gone.

"Well, I guess that conversation is over," Dean sighed. "It's just you and me now, Baby." He patted the Impala and leaded back, hands folded against his stomach. Dean closed his eyes and listened to the sound of nature fight against the sound of the near-by highway. He felt a sudden cool breeze against his face. He opened his eyes and saw Cas standing over him.

"How long have you been standing there, man?" he asked, sitting upright.

"I just got here, Dean," Cas said. His hand was in the pocket of his trench coat. "I have something for you." He pulled his hand out, and in it was a long, thin, black box wrapped in silver paper. "Happy birthday, Dean," he said, handing over the box.

"Wha…" Dean looked down, obviously thinking. "Hey! It is my birthday, isn't it? I guess I lost track of the dates…" Cas looked down, still holding out the box. "Thanks, Cas."

Dean took the box and proceeded to take the wrapping off. He saw a smile creep across Cas's face as he did so. It made him smile. Finally, all the paper was off, and the black box was revealed.

"Open it," Cas said excitedly. Dean did so and found a single angel feather.

"Woah, Cas. I don't…I don't know what to say, really," Dean said. He was in awe. The good kind of awe.

"Well you could start with a 'thank you,' I think that is what humans say when one gives the other a gift," Cas said. Dean let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, Cas. Thanks a lot," Dean said, smiling up at the angel.

"Dean, you know that person I was talking about earlier?" Cas asked.

"Yeah. What about them?"

"It's you, Dean."