A Mirror is a Window

A/N: Yeah, I know… Short chapter… I was astonished that I was ABLE to write fewer than 1000 words and not have it be an E/O Challenge! But, since I am posting two chaps today, I thought you would all forgive me.

Chapter 3 It's Me

Cas, Ana, and Charles sat at the dining table for dinner. Cas was distracted and all attempts to engage him resulted in monosyllabic answers. After they finished eating but before clearing the table, Cas asked the question plaguing him all day.

"What happened between Dean and John?"

His parents went silent. His dad's lips pressed together tightly and his mom looked away from Cas.

"What the hell!" Cas exploded.

"Language!" Charles admonished. The heat died down after a few moments of staring at the pain written all over Castiel. "Son, have you seen Dean?"

Cas shook his head.

"Did you ask Sam when you were out today?"

Cas blew out an exasperated breath. "He just said I had to ask Dean."

Charles nodded. "Then, you'll have to ask him, son." Charles announced an end to the conversation by rising and leaving the room. Ana rose and began clearing the table without so much as a word.

The next day, Cas rose in the morning before the sun and donned his track suit. He left the house as John was kissing Kate good-bye.

"Hey, John. Good morning, Kate," Cas called.

John looked over at Cas. The curl of his lip and the narrowing of his eyes expressed derision and Cas couldn't understand what he could have done to earn it. John got into the truck next to Adam and they drove away. Cas approached Kate.

"What did I do?" Cas asked.

Kate placed a sympathetic hand on Cas' arm. "Nothing, hon. He's just been… funny. He'll get over it."

Cas thought for a moment. "Is it because of Dean?"

Kate smiled a sad little lift of her lips, patted Cas' arm again and turned to go inside.

"Kate, please!" Cas asked with a catch in his voice.

She shook her head and waved at Cas. He was surprised at his body shaking in anger. His eyes welled up with tears. He began running.

An hour of running and Cas was overheated and drenched. He looked up to the sign on the aluminum siding proclaiming the place as "Singer Auto Restoration and Customization". His eyes scanned the lot and found a sleek black beauty of American workmanship. He walked over and let his hand lightly trace the metal. He peeked inside the cabin and saw how little had changed from the last time he sat in the Impala. There were a few textbooks for Dean's Tech classes instead of History and Algebra. The "Modern Muscle" and "Classic Chevy" car magazines replaced "Busty Asian Beauties" and "Jugs" on the floorboard. He looked at the dashboard and saw the chain with a talisman for protection hanging from the ignition. In the visor, he saw two photographs. One was of Sam, Dean, Cas and Adam leaning against the Impala in the student parking lot at the high school. The other, Cas had never seen before. It was a picture of him sleeping. Cas' heart sped up. When was that picture taken? It was clearly Dean's room. He recognized the bedspread and the guitar on the stand near the nightstand. It must have been before he left for Europe. Cas looked at it, studied it. He was wearing the medallions for Honor Society and for Key Club. It must have been taken the night of graduation. Cas had stayed with Dean so his parents wouldn't see him drunk.

"Hey! Hey, you! Get away from my car!"

Cas recognized Dean's voice. He rose from where he was bent over looking inside the Impala's windows. The angry pace Dean had before he knew who it was slowed and their eyes met. Dean stopped to stare, his tan face going pale.

"Cas?" There was pain and a strained question beyond the recognition in the one word. Cas took a breath and began walking toward Dean.

"Hey."

Dean took a step, then another, and another until he rushed to Cas, embracing him in a tight hug. After a few moments, he pulled back and Cas could see tears glistening in his eyes.

"Dude," said Dean. "You reek."