The stars to the moon, Chapter 1:
2008 January 24th
"Happy Birthday, Dean" Jessica said as she kissed both his cheeks.
"Yeah, Happy birthday, dude" Sam hugged him. Both him and Jessica were smiling wide, while impatiently waiting for something.
"All right, what's up with you two? You've been acting like giggling schoolgirls since I came here." Dean said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Jessica reached behind her, grabbing the envelope that rested in a bowl on top of the kitchen counter. "Here," she smiled and handed Dean the envelope.
"Guys, you know you don't have to buy me anything for-" the rest of his words were swallowed. He had opened the envelope to find a voucher inside of it, the cursive letters at the top said: "The GREAT LAKES Cruise".
"You deserve it, Dean, you know after everything..." Sam said, patting his shoulder. Sam was one of the few people who really understood Dean's reaction to these things.
Dean was still quiet, his eyes were scanning the rest of the voucher.
"Fascinating trips on the breezy GREAT LAKES cruise.
Delightful cruise vacations & the ideal cruise between East and West.
With this voucher you will be traveling from May 3rd till May 26th.
Departure: Chicago, IL at 12.30 pm and Arrival: 5.30 pm in Warren, RI."
"You know, you don't have to..." Jessica said hesitant, seeing the confused look on Dean's face.
"No, of course I'll go. It's just too much guys, thank you, really." He hugged Sam again and gave Jessica a kiss on the cheek. He smiled to make the situation less awkward than it was. The truth was he didn't really want to go. He knew they were sending him off to help his confidence, even though they would probably never admit it.
Ever since the accident, things had changed between them. Sam and Jessica were always looking out for him and whenever he had one of his (stupid) panic attacks, they were the first ones there to calm him down. It was incredibly sweet and Dean was very thankful, it was just extremely suffocating. He knew that wasn't the reason they were sending him, but it was still at the back of his mind.
"will be there- Dean? Did you hear me?" Sam asked, looking a bit concerned.
Dean felt the need to roll his eyes at his overprotective brother. Since when did those roles turn? "No, what were you saying?"
"Charlie lives near Warren, in Providence, and she pretty much declared that you stay with her a few days after the Cruise. So she's going to pick you up at the port." Sam repeated patiently.
Dean smiled at the thought of Charlie, they had been friends for a few years now. Sadly he didn't get to see her much, so that was a nice surprise.
"There's just one more thing. Don't get mad with us, please, but-"
"Sammy..." Dean should have seen this coming.
"Dean, I said please. Look it's not safe to send you out on a cruise of 16 days without any supervision. So we called Great Lakes and they had this special option, the only difference is that there is a specialist on board. Nothing more.
"No," Dean said determined. "Sam, I'm not crazy!"
"Dean, I know you're not crazy. This isn't some weird therapy session we're sending you to. There's just someone on board to help you when needed."
"And how is that not calling me crazy? Look I really appreciate it and I guess it would be good to give you some Dean-free-time. Just-"
Dean sighed, "I'll go." He threw his hands in the air. Under normal circumstances he would not have complied, but he knew Sam and Jess meant well and knew he was spending too much time with them, anyway.
Sam sighed, "Jess is right, if you really don't want to go, I guess we could cancel."
"Shut up, I'm going, but if this turns out to be crazy camp, I swear I'm going to shoot you in the a-"
Sam hugged him, cutting him off. "I think it will be good for you, Dean."
"And you get to decide the number of appointments, so it's not like we're forcing you." Jessica added, her voice only filled with kindness.
"I'll drive you to Lake Michigan on the 3rd of May and you're flying back from Providence to Illinois on June the 1st. I know you don't really like flying but it was that or a 13 hour drive..."
"No it's fine, I'm not that delicate, you know." The truth was that Dean hated flying, but the babying was getting annoying and it needed to stop.
2008 April 27th
"I'm so excited to see you next month!" Charlie's voice said through the speaker of Dean's laptop.
"Maybe you'll get sick of me and kick me out after the first day," Dean joked. He didn't need to look at the screen to know Charlie stuck out her tongue, he knew her well enough.
Dean was cooking a simple meal for himself while Skyping with Charlie, they had done that a lot since January. It was nice to have somebody other than Sam to talk to, he felt less of a burden to them now.
Dean lived in an apartment in Moline, Illinois. It was only 5 minutes away from Sam and Jessica's place, but after the incident, that seemed for the best. He used to live in their hometown Lawrence, Kansas, close to their father. However, that wasn't an option anymore.
1983 May 2nd
"I'm afraid your wife didn't make it, sir. We're very sorry. We did everything we could, but the blood loss was just too much for her." The doctor said, his face showed compassion. "But you can see your son now, we were able to save him."
John Winchester's world collapsed right there. The floor was swept away right beneath his very feet, he could feel his knees hit the ground.
"Daddy?" Two young eyes stared at him in total confusion, his little hands grasping at John's sleeve.
2008 May 2nd
"So have you packed like, anything at all?" Jessica came over to help with the final packing.
Dean laughed apologetically, "Sorry Jess, to be honest I haven't."
Jessica smiled back at him, "It's okay. How about you start packing your essentials and I'll help you to be stylish on board and start packing your clothes."
"You're the best," he playfully patted her blonde hair.
She rolled her eyes, "you know it".
He went on a search for his passport, his pills and his prescription letter. Because he needed heavier medicine than normal people, he had to carry the prove with him. It was like an annoying reminder of everything that was wrong with him and he hated it.
He looked at himself in the mirror. The bags under his eyes made him look tired as well as the scruff on his face. Then there was the fact that his hair hadn't seen any product for months now. Way to look unkempt, Dean.
What the hell, Dean decided, he might as well try to look the part for a cruise. So that was why he ended up shaving, styling his hair and stealing some moisturizer that Sam had once left here.
After he was done with his appearance, he gathered his stuff out of the bathroom and walked back the bedroom. His dark blue suitcase lay flopped open on the bed and was neatly being packed by Jess, folding his clothes better than Dean had ever treated them.
"Well, look at you," Jess said smiling broadly.
Dean chuckled, hiding the blush on face, "thanks".
"Hoping to meet a special someone on that cruise, perhaps?" She asked jokingly.
"Shut your face," Dean said playfully. But honestly, was he?
His last relationship had been with Lisa Braeden, a wonderful and truly beautiful girl. It didn't matter to Dean that Lisa already had a kid, he loved Ben. Dean had always liked teaching him stuff about cars and even though Dean was home schooled, he tried to help Ben with his homework. His life with Lisa was pretty great, it was simple yet loveable, like a real family.
They had been dating for over a year (the longest relationship Dean had ever been in) when he noticed she wasn't happy anymore. Lisa tried to accept the drinking, the sudden anxiety attacks and the way his medicine made him feel numb. But Dean could tell it was growing harder on her, so he left. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, but he didn't want to weigh them down, so he didn't.
"Dean, honey, what's wrong?" Jess walked over to him.
When did his hands start shaking? "I'm fine. Just zoned out, sorry" he tried to smile.
"Yeah, okay" She didn't look any less worried.
She helped him pack the rest of his suitcase, rearranging every time Dean threw something in the suitcase. The conversations were kept light and neither of them talked about love anymore. Two full hours later everything was packed, even Dean's handbag (which he would deny he had, should anyone ask).
That night, sleep did not come easy to Dean. He felt nervous, this would be the first time he would be away from his new home. He was excited to see Charlie, maybe he could get through this if he just counted until that day was here.
He turned and turned in his bed, trying to keep the bad thoughts away. It made him even more tired, which was a good thing since he wanted to fall asleep, but it did not prevent one thought from slipping through the barrier.
1987 August 11 th
"Dean, I'm going out. Make sure your brother gets his dinner before bed." John's voice was harsh and plain.
"Okay, I will. Be careful, daddy" Dean walked towards his father, but before he could wrap his arms around him, John was out of the door.
Dean felt two short arms wrap around his body. "I will hug you," a little voice said. Dean smiled at Sammy. "Come on, let's make you spaghetti-o's for dinner" Dean said, lifting his little brother up and seating him down at the kitchen table.
After dinner, Dean tucked Sammy in, ignoring the usual question of where their daddy was.
"Go to sleep, Sammy." Dean said while contemplating bouncing on the huge bed, he didn't.
"Will you stay with me?" Sam's small voice piped up.
Dean sighed, he was thinking about watching some TV while he was waiting for their dad to return, "yeah, okay".
"Night, Deanie" He said while he cuddled up to his big brother.
"Night, Sammy" Dean replied, smiling down at his little brother.
They both fell asleep on the bed. For the first time in months, Dean's sleep was peaceful, at least, that was until an angry John Winchester came in.
"Dean, why are you asleep? You're supposed to be watching over your brother." His words slurred a little, which by now, Dean knew was never a good thing.
"I'm sorry, dad. But I was very tired" Dean tried, sounding small. He felt the guilt rush trough his belly, immediately looking over to see if Sammy was still okay.
His father was about to yell a reply.
"Daddy?" a happy voice spoke from next to Dean.
He heard their father sigh, "Hey, Sam". A long pause followed and it looked like John Winchester was trying to decide whether to settle on anger or regain calmness.
"Why don't you two go back to sleep, I'm here now anyway." With that he left the room, probably crashing on the couch.
2008 May 3 rd
Dean woke up to the rude sound of his alarm clock, it was currently 7 am. Sam was picking him up in 30 minutes, they were going to drive to the harbor together. It was about a three and a half hour drive to the Navy Pier in Michigan, which meant that the two of them would be stuck in a car for a long time. Which probably meant time to talk, Dean would try to postpone that conversation as long as possible.
He knew they would be arriving early, but that meant he had enough time to check in and gather up the courage he hadn't found yet.
He got dressed in the outfit he and Jessica picked out for today. There had been a small argument, but in the end Jessica won and Dean ended up wearing a dark blue button down instead of his preferred flannel.
Breakfast was too heavy on his stomach, so he ended up throwing half of it in the trash can. Ten minutes till Sam would be there, Dean tried to calm down his nerves.
His suitcase and bag were waiting for him at the front door, staring at him from where he sat at the kitchen table. Dean made sure his phone was fully charged and that he took his medication. After that he checked if they were actually in his bag, about three times.
The bell rang at 7.30 am, just leave it up to Sam to be exactly on time. Dean reluctantly opened the door, trading his nerves for a smile.
"You ready?" Sam asked with excitement, as if they were both going.
"Yup, all packed and everything" Dean pointed towards the suitcase.
"Did you pack all your medication?" Sam said, suddenly serious.
"What do you think I am, an idiot? Of course I have" Dean looked at his brother with annoyance.
"Enough the last you the entire trip? Don't forget you're also visiting Ch-"
"Oh my god, Sam. If you don't shut up now I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass you can't talk for another week." Dean interrupted, because he was not having this conversation again.
Sam rolled his eyes, but Dean's face was still completely serious. "Great, let's go then!" Sam grabbed Dean's suitcase and headed towards the car.
It made Dean think back to his days with the impala, his baby was now gathering dust in the garage over at Sam's place. She wouldn't be there forever of course, Dean hoped he would be able to drive again once his medication dose was lowered.
The car ride was, to Dean's surprise, mostly filled with music coming from the radio. Yet Dean knew Sam better than anyone, so he knew that a heartfelt conversation was inevitable. He'd accept the quiet for now, though.
They parked Sam's car on the parking lot in front of a white building. Behind the white building, that was obviously the check in centre, was the harbor. A white, fancy looking ship was floating on the small waves of the Michigan Lake.
"Wow, look at that thing, man. I would gladly switch places with you right now," Sam said, looking up at the beautiful cruise ship. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the ship, "I'm showing that to Jess".
It wasn't one of those giant cruise ships, like in the movies. Instead it was more elegant, smaller than Dean had expected, that made him feel a little bit better. The side of the ship said "Pearl Mist", Dean rolled his eyes at the cliché name of the ship.
As much as Dean wished Sam would switch places with him, he didn't tell him. "No turning back now, Sammy. This beauty is all mine," he pointed towards the ship.
"Yeah, you and the other 399 passengers" Sam laughed.
Dean smiled, but the thought of being stuck on a ship with 399 strangers made him feel quite uncomfortable.
Sam sensed it. "Dean, you probably won't even notice them."
"Yeah, all right, let's just go and check in." Dean said, while walking towards the white building.
The check-in centre wasn't all that big. It had a simple waiting area, followed by a long hall with several booths.
"Can I help you two?" A kind woman's voice asked.
Dean looked in the direction of the sound. The woman was barely visible from behind the high counter. Her red hair was pinned back with a hairpiece Dean didn't remember the name of, it reminded him of a bandana.
"Yeah, I'm here to check in for the Grande Caribe cruise." Dean replied
"Just one? You're not going together then? What a shame, let me just say that we accept all sorts of people. All races, religion, color or sexual orient-"
"What? No, we're just brothers!" Sam answered quickly (and awkwardly).
She eyed them for a second, Dean could swear she was about to make another gay comment, but she didn't.
She cleared her throat, "anyway, what's your last name?"
Dean gave her the information and she provided him with his official ticket, followed by a short standard talk about boarding the ship and then she told them to move along to the waiting area.
Sam and Dean sat down in the waiting area, Sam looking really uncomfortable on the small plastic stool. In front of them was a long hallway that said 'baggage control', Dean suddenly hoped they wouldn't make a scene over his medication. He patted the prescription letter in his pocket, relieved to find that is was there.
"So are we going to talk about this, or are going to keep sabotaging me?" Sam asked suddenly.
Well here goes nothing, Dean thought. "I don't know what you mean, there's nothing to talk about."
"Dean, I just don't want you to feel like this is a bad thing, you know. I know it must feel like we're trying to force happiness onto you, but we really think this will be good for you."
"As you keep reminding us all," Dean sighed. "Look, I know you and Jess are convinced this will be good for me. Personally I think it's gonna do Jack squat."
"Well maybe you can find some peace there, you know." Sam said, being the optimistic one, as always.
Dean squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, he could literally feel Sam's gaze burning into him.
"Please, just promise me that you'll make an appointment with Dr. Missouri at least once."
It took Dean a very sarcastic eye roll to answer, "yes, I'll make an appointment".
"Will all passengers of the Pearl Mist Cruise please report to the baggage control, please?"
Thank God, Dean thought.
"Have fun, Dean. And call me if you need to, seriously." Sam gave Dean a tight hug.
"Yeah, I will." Dean didn't have it in him anymore to be sarcastic. His heartbeat was fastening, but he was going to keep calm during this, he had to. So he gave Sam the best smile he could produce and joined a crowd of people to the baggage control, denying his want to look back over his shoulder.
After the baggage control, which basically existed out of controlling everyone's passports and checking their bags for anything suspicious, they had to wait in another area.
Dean sat down on another one of those awful plastic seats. The area started to get more crowded and after 15 minutes, there was almost no personal space left. Great, this was off to an amazing start. Luckily enough at that moment the doors to the bridge, well the weird tunnel thing, opened.
It took a while for everyone to get inside, since everyone had to be handed their keys and after that, there was a basic information speech.
The cruise ship consisted out of 7 levels, 4 till 7 available for guests. Deck 4 and 5, as Dean had been told, were the cabins. Deck 6 was for indoor activities, such as a small swimming pool, a spa and a gym (and probably a lot more things Dean couldn't remember anymore). Deck 7 was of course part restaurant and part open deck, for those insane people who liked recreating the titanic, probably.
After the never-ending speech, they were allowed to go their cabins. A long cue formed in front of the elevators, but even though his suitcase was pretty heavy, Dean was one hundred percent sure he was going to take the stairs.
He ended up in a corridor, it was too narrow and he had to remind himself to breathe steadily. The floor, a navy blue colored carpet, was dusty and the wallpaper was plain, simply white with a few little pictures here and there.
The floor was a navy blue colored carpet and the wallpaper was a simple white, a few little pictures were up here and there.
He searched his pockets for his key, the key was one of those weird cards you slide through some device to open your door. He looked at the room number on it, it said 39. Dean's eyes scanned the doors and he was relieved to find that his room wasn't too far away from the staircase.
He took the keycard and, after several attempts, managed to open the door. He stepped inside the room, dragging his luggage behind him, and he couldn't stop his lips from curling into a huge smile. It was definitely a huge improvement to the small corridor outside the room.
The room had a beige colored carpet, which jointed beautifully with the white and wooden theme of the rest of the room. There was a white, soft looking double sized bed in the middle, the headboard resting against the right wall of the room.
In front of the bed stood a small table joined by a beige and simple looking couch. On the wall in front of the bed hang a small flat screen TV, underneath it was a small wooden shelf, supporting something that looked like a DVD player. The thing that Dean liked the most was the big oval window at the back of the room, even now when it was already twilight, Dean could still see the waves of the lake. It made him feel less closed in, like he could breathe.
He put his bag and suitcase near the bed and sat down on the little couch. He looked around for a clock. He found one on the wall, next to a framed picture of an old cruise ship. It was around 9 o'clock and even though Dean was pretty tired, he didn't feel like going to bed yet.
He looked at the small side table, noticing that there were a few things on top of it. The first thing was a bouquet of fake flowers in a light blue vase, next he noticed a map that contained standard information about the ship, like pointed out fire exits, a rules list and even a menu for room service. Last he noticed a stack of folders. He grabbed the folder that had a picture of the ship on it, it was a map of deck 6. Dean immediately noticed the word 'bar' on the top corner of the map, maybe this cruise wasn't going to be that bad.
As he got up, a white envelope fell on the ground. Dean picked it up and opened the envelope, he noticed that his name was written in beautiful cursive letters.
"Dean Winchester, room 301.
It is our pleasure to welcome you aboard the 'Pearl Mist'. To make sure you have a relaxing and carefree cruise, we are more than happy to provide you with this Spa voucher. Hand in this voucher in our Spa on deck 6, for a 20-minute full body massage.
We hope you enjoy your stay!
Pearl Mist staff & crew"
Even though Dean didn't really care for letting strangers touch him, massages were supposed to be relaxing, right? And hell, maybe it would be like the movies and there would even be a hot lady involved.
He put the voucher back on the side table, he would use it sooner or later. But right now he was going to have a few drinks at the bar, because that was something he knew he was comfortable with.
Dean opened the heavy doors and walked into the bar area. It was a simple setting, the room contained a few round tables joined by chairs, a black, leather couch and to the right was an open area containing only a pool table. In the back of the area was the actual bar, it was a brown tiled bar with only 6 stools in front of it. The red carpet flowed into brown and black tiles at the bar, it gave the room a rusty look but it worked.
A few guys were playing pool, but other than that, the only people in the room were Dean and the bartender who, as if on cue, walked out of the room through a back door.
Dean sat down on one of the stools, putting his feet up on the golden rail that was attached to the bar. He looked at all the colorful bottles, locked away behind see-through cabinets. There were all sorts of glasses hanging from racks on the ceiling, that wasn't something you'd expect on a boat.
It reminded him of one of the bars back home, one of the bars he was banned from, ironically.
"Well, you look like you could use a drink." A deep, friendly voice pulled Dean out of his thoughts.
He looked up, expecting to look into the face of an older man. Probably because of the rough, smoker sounding edge to his voice, but instead he faced a guy who couldn't be much older than him. Dean's eyebrows raised slightly. That wasn't something you came across every day.
The man's dark hair looked a bit tousled, he had a rough stubble on his jaw but not enough to make him look unkempt. His face looked friendly, but his expression made him seem like he was waiting for something. But if Dean had to pick a most striking feature about his man, it would be his incredible blue eyes.
It wasn't until he heard the other man chuckle, that he realized he actually hadn't answered yet. He felt a small blush creeping up on him. Normally Dean would have accused him of making fun of him, but there was something about the bartender's face that made him seem sincere. Dean had to admit, it was much better than earning concerned looks. Like he was used to getting from Sam and Jess every time Dean looked away for even a few seconds.
"Anything strong?" The bartender asked, realizing he wasn't getting an answer.
"Sorry," Dean said apologetically. "Can't, a beer is fine", Dean damned his medication, because something strong was indeed what could use right now.
"Sure, no problem" the bartender said, no questions asked.
"Thanks," Dean said as he watched the bartender open a brandless bottle of beer. "So, you work on a cruise ship, huh?" Thanks Captain obvious, Dean thought.
"Yeah," the man's lips curled into a smile. "Can you believe that they actually make us work? Instead of relax during the cruise" He let his elbows rest on the bar's surface, leaning on them.
Dean chuckled, "Really? Guess they don't put that in the folder?"
"Must have been the small print," the bartender smiled and his eyes squinted a little. He was distracted by the guys at the pool table, who were literally shouting for his attention.
Dean sipped his beer, meanwhile he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. It was a text message from Sam:
Hey, how's the cruise so far?
I showed Jess the picture and now we're both jealous.
Enjoy the cruise Dean, please.
X Sam & Jess
Dean rolled his eyes at the little 'please', he typed a quick response saying he was fine and put his phone away. He just didn't want to think about anything right now, just blank out his memories.
A few minutes later the bartender returned, Dean had tried to ignore the inviting look of the whiskey that was now being consumed by thehooligans that dared to call themselves passengers.
"My name's Castiel, by the way"
Again, the voice came unexpected and it took him a few seconds to respond. Once the incredibly blue eyes collided with his, he stuck out his hand.
"Dean," he said as his hand collided with Castiel's hand over the bar.
They got to talking, about anything really. They talked about past jobs, silly commercials, their favorite subjects in high school and they even had a small (yet passionate) contest for coming up with stupid names.
Eventually the conversation turned back to the cruise ship.
"I also work a few extra jobs, for example I host the dancing lessons on the ship." Castiels lips curled into that already familiar smile again, "I know, I know, but it's not as bad as it sounds."
"Must do well with the ladies," Dean smirked.
The smile on his lips had something that captured Dean's breath for a moment, but it could have been what he said next.
"That's not really my area," he was so calm. "I hope that doesn't bother you," his voice was still calm but there was a shimmer of insecurity in his eyes.
Oh, oh!
"No, of course" his beer was set on making him cough apparently. "No, what, no that doesn't bother me at all, it's cool" way to go Dean. He tried really hard to ignore the tiny flutter that had made its way into his stomach, it was not really working though.
The barman's smile widened and Dean figured he must be trying not to laugh. It calmed Dean's nerves a bit, even to a point where his lips curled into a smile. It was easy to smile around Castiel and forget about his anxiety, even though right now Castiel was the source of his anxiety.
The bartender seemed just as comfortable, "but it doesn't do badly with men either, you know." And then he winked, he fucking winked.
Dean felt his cheeks flush, he tried very hard to avoid eye contact. Dean had no idea if Castiel noticed his blush, but he could hear a musical laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me, please tell me this is some sort of sick joke" the words played in his head like a worn-out tape recorder.
Nausea hit him like a brick wall, immediately Dean dug his nails into his hand hard. There was no way this was going to happen here, not right now. He tried to breathe through the familiar waves of panic, tried to focus on the nails, that were now painfully digging into his own skin. Breathing was the key, in and out, slowly and steady, in through the nose and out through his mouth.
"Are you all right?"
Dean realized the bartenders eyes were on him. Castiel had been nothing but kind to him, it was unfair to bother him with his stupid problems.
"Yeah, 'm fine. Just got a really bad headache, that's all." He tried to give Castiel a genuine smile, praying that he wouldn't question Dean's answer.
The look of concern he had seen so many times, didn't disappear from Castiel's face. Or he accepted the answer or he decided not to pry, either way Dean was thankful for that.
"I think 'm gonna go lie down," Dean said, his voice shaking a little bit. Damn this façade he had to keep up with other people around all the time.
"I hope you feel better, Dean" It was so genuine and almost normal-sounding, coming from Castiel.
"Thanks, see you around, Cas" Dean gave him a short wave and turned around. Realizing what he had just said, but being too tired to care.
The man's eyebrows rose from behind the bar, well this had definitely been a new encounter.
Once he was back in his room it was already 10.30 pm. He felt like changing into something a bit more comfortable, because everything felt too suffocating around his body.
On the way here his breathing had calmed down, luckily he didn't run into any other passengers. He preferred being alone in these situations, or in a place he was very familiar with.
When Dean opened his suitcase, he was surprised to find a stack of books inside. No wonder his suitcase was so damn heavy. He remembered leaving Jessica to pack most of his suitcase, she must have put them in while he was in the bathroom.
Dean, while definitely not the biggest fan of books, was still touched by the gesture.
He changed into his sweatpants and a simple t-shirt, after that he went into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. It wasn't a very big bathroom but the space well divided and gave him no sense of anxiety. He wondered if Sam had secretly requested an anxiety-proof room.
When he came back into the room he put the suitcase on the ground and grabbed the three books.
His eyes scanned over the titles, not one seemed familiar to him. He plopped down on the bed, deciding what the hell, he might as well read them. He had been carrying them along this far, anyway.
Two of the books turned out to be detectives, Dean was pretty sure they were brand new. The third book was different, it appeared to be read and the smell of new books didn't cling to it. He looked at the back to find that it was a romance novel, Dean frowned at that.