Challenge Word: Deadline
AN1: The title comes from the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover".
AN2: This is set during Season 1, maybe S2... back when Dean was young enough to pass for a college kid. He'd never pull it off now... not as a traditional student anyway. His eyes are too ancient. And Sam's lost that sweet little boy look. Yep, definitely early seasons.
At a large table nestled in a secluded corner, two young men poured over dusty tomes from the library's vast collection, each taking copious notes. Numerous books and photocopied pages cluttered the workspace. From the men's concentration and urgency, a casual observer would assume they were a couple of college kids working against an impending deadline.
More perceptive onlookers might note the unusual book titles and disturbing images littering the table. Even so, these passersby would merely shrug and move on, preoccupied by their own concerns, never guessing the truth: that not grades, but innocent lives, hung in the balance.