When Dean woke the next morning, he was alone in bed. He rubbed the back of his fingers over his eyes as he sat up and leaned against the headboard. He heard the water running through the closed bathroom door, and decided to get dressed so they could leave when Robin was done. He could always shower back at the other motel while she was sorting things out with Mark. Then they would figure out what to do next.
"Morning," Robin said as came out of the bathroom.
Dean stopped packing and stared at her a moment. "Morning."
She held her towel in her hands, and stared at it. "I uh... I had a text from Mark when I woke up."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"What did it say?"
When she wouldn't look Dean in the eyes, he knew that whatever Mark had said made her regret last night.
"He asked me if sleeping on it changed my mind, if I slept at all... because he didn't."
Dean went back to packing his bag. "So, he wants to work it out?"
"Dean-"
"That's good, right?"
"We need to talk."
"About what?"
"What happened last night."
Dean zipped up his bag and looked at Robin.
"What happened last night was whatever you needed it to be."
"You're just always so good to me. I would hate for you to think that I used you, because that wasn't my intention."
"I get it, okay? I do." Dean smiled. "You don't have to worry about me, sweetheart. I'm fine. Comforting beautiful women is something I live for."
"Are you sure?"
Dean put his hands on her shoulders. "Positive. You ready to go?"
"I left the clothes I borrowed on the floor next to the bed."
"Already packed," he said with a smile.
"Can I have five minutes to blow dry my hair?"
"Sure."
Dean stared at the road on their way back to the motel where Sam and Mark were. He occasionally felt Robin's eyes on him, but he ignored it. It wasn't until they were a few blocks away that Robin finally spoke.
"Dean?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to tell Mark?"
"Not if you don't want me to."
"I think it's better if we keep it between us. If Mark and I really do work it out, I don't want to hurt him. And I don't want him to hate you, either."
"Whatever you think is best."
"I really screwed things up, didn't I?"
"Robin... you thought you were done. Maybe you jumped the gun a little, but you were hurting. You two will be fine."
"Thanks."
Dean pulled into the motel and grabbed his bag from the backseat. Robin took a deep breath, then got out and knocked on her and Mark's door. Dean didn't wait around to see what happened next.
"Hey," Sam said when he walked into their room. "Robin okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. She's next door. How'd it go last night with the ghost?"
"Went fine."
"No trouble?"
"No. Which is good, because Mark was really distracted. Did you know that Robin sent him a text telling him it was over?"
"Yeah... yeah, she showed me."
"I was on the phone with him when he got it. He almost replied back right away telling her not to bother coming back, but I talked him into waiting. I told him they both needed to cool off and think before doing or saying anything else."
"Cooling off is definitely an issue for them."
"Do you know if he ever talked to her?"
"He sent her a text asking if that was what she really wanted, basically."
"And?"
"And, they're next door. That's all I know." Dean started packing. "I think we should head out. Give them some space to work this out without an audience, huh?"
"You don't want to make sure they're okay?"
"They're fine. They're both adults. They don't need us to help them with their relationship problems."
"Okay. let's go. You wanna stop for food?"
"I could eat."
It was months before Dean heard from Robin again. She sent him a text asking if he could call her. He waited until Sam went on a supply run, then called her back.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"I left Mark."
"What?"
"I packed while he was getting food. I left him a note and got a cab."
"Robin-"
"You guys said you have a place in Kansas, right?"
"Yeah, but-"
"I'm in Cawker City right now. Where do I need to go?"
"You're in Cawker?"
"Yeah."
"That's about half an hour from us."
"Great!"
"Listen, there's a giant ball of twine there."
"Yeah, I saw it when we came in."
"Good. Have the cab take you back there, and I'll come get you."
"Why can't I have him bring me to you?"
"We would really prefer to keep this place off the radar as much as possible."
"Okay. Understood. Half an hour?"
"About that, yeah. I'll be there soon."
On his way to the garage, Dean called Sam to fill him in.
Robin was sitting on a bench beneath the shelter that housed the large ball of twine when Dean drove up, but she made no move to leave. She was staring at the ground when Dean walked up to her, and he knew she had been crying. He sat down and put his arm around her, and she lay her head against his shoulder. They sat quietly for a long while. Dean stared at the large ball in front of him without really looking at it. His mind was too focused on Robin. She would talk when she was ready, and he would let her explain what happened. But they couldn't stay here. He had to get her back to the bunker.
"You ready?" Dean asked.
Robin nodded. Dean helped her with her bags.
Sam was in the library when they got back. He stood and hugged Robin.
"You okay?"
"I'll be fine," she said
"What happened?"
Robin took a deep breath. "Nothing changed. We still fight, all the time. I'm just tired of it."
"Does Mark know where you are?" Dean asked.
"No. I didn't want him coming after me."
"Okay, look. Maybe it's good that you two take a break from each other, but I think you should call him just to let him know you're safe."
"I don't want to talk to him."
Dean sighed. "Well, then I'll call him. How about that?"
Robin nodded, and Dean pulled out his cell. He left the room in case Mark started asking a lot of questions. He didn't want Robin chiming in in the background. Mark was pissed, and with good reason, but Dean was able to talk him into giving Robin a few days.
Dean showed Robin where to find the showers, the kitchen, and her room. He turned to leave her alone to unpack, but she grabbed his arm.
"Dean... I just wanted to thank you. After last time, I know I don't really have a right to ask for your help, but-"
"Robin, it's okay. I told you."
"You're too good to me."
Dean just smiled and left the room.