Sam jumped out of his chair. "Dean!" He looked at his older brother with surprise.
Dean nodded, raising his glass of scotch in acknowledgement. "Hey, Sammy." He looked over at Castiel. "Sorry for coming in through the back. Seemed like a good idea at the time since you and Sammy were talking." Dean took a sip of his scotch. "Though I mean what I said. Dad was a dick. He should've let Mom go and helped get you through college so you could do what you wanted to do."
Sam frowned. "Dad should've let you live your life too."
His older brother shrugged. "Without the family business, I wouldn't know what to do, Sammy. I don't know who I'd be."
Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly, not really wanting to interrupt their conversation. "I understand your desire to have this conversation, Sam, Dean, but I am curious. Was there something wrong with your fiancé?"
Dean chuckled slightly. "Nah, Lisa's fine. She just got really frustrated because she thinks I don't have any style, so she sent me back." Castiel nodded, turning his attention back to his hands so that he would not be included in the brothers' conversation. "Anyway," Dean continued, changing topics. "Where were you guys?"
Before Castiel could speak up, Sam answered his brother. "Castiel was telling me about the research he did on Mom."
Sam hadn't even finished his sentence before Castiel's blood ran cold. He could tell it had been the wrong thing to say to the elder Winchester, given the way Dean's expression went carefully blank the moment Sam said research. After glancing up to check the blonde's reaction, the shorter brunette kept his eyes on his hands, pulling them into his body. It didn't take long for Dean to sit down beside the bartender. "She looked like you," Castiel said softly, so that only Dean had heard his comment.
"What'd you find?" Castiel looked up at Dean nervously, his hands now in his lap. Dean's expression was still blank. "You'd better have damn well found something, Novak, in order to go digging into my mother's disappearance. Not to mention that you had more contacts than Dad ever could've hoped for. Now, tell me what you found."
Castiel took a deep breath. "As of six years ago, there was a slim chance that your mother might have still been alive." He risked a glance at Dean. "There was evidence that suggested her death had been faked in order to deceive people who might have been hunting her."
Dean sighed, hanging his head. "That didn't lead to a conversation about Dad. Where did you leave off?"
"Anna had asked me if you had accepted your mother's death as Sam had."
The brunette shook his head. "Dean shares a trait of stubbornness with his father that rationally allows him to know that his mother is gone, but emotionally allows him to retain the belief that his mother is still alive." Castiel looked back up at Anna. "What is your sudden interest in Dean Winchester?"
Anna shrugged. "You've taken a certain interest in him, so I thought it relevant that I do some research of my own on him. I admit, I don't understand your fascination with him. Dean Winchester seems to be no more than a man whose mother was killed and has become a private investigator."
Castiel opened his mouth to explain only to find no words to do so. "He refused to turn away from an investigation even with the threat of Michael disposing of him hanging over his head."
She nodded, studying her cousin. "It sounds as if he would be a very interesting person to meet."
"I assume," Castiel continued, "that after our conversation is when Anna decided to meet you, Dean." He paused, considering something. "My relatives closest to me apparently found it in my best interests to meet you."
Dean hummed in agreement. "And threaten me with bodily harm if I did anything to hurt you, apparently. But otherwise, you hit the nail on the head, Cas."
Sam looked at Castiel, curious. "Did Balthazar come to see you about Dean too then? I mean, it'd fit the pattern if he did."
The brunette nodded. "Balthazar did come to visit me, and he discussed Dean while he was there. Though, he did admit to at the very least having been in Dean's office."
"Your PI boyfriend has very good taste in alcohol, Castiel."
Castiel didn't look up from his Mary Winchester file. "Dean is not my boyfriend, Balthazar."
Balthazar shrugged. "Your choice, Cas. You know that none of us here will judge you for it." He paused, really looking at Castiel for the first time since entering the brunette's office. "It is curious that you knew who I was talking about though."
"You are not the only one who has come to talk to me about Dean recently." Balthazar laughed at that, looking around for a hidden source of alcohol. Castiel looked up at the older man. "You broke into Dean's office, didn't you?"
The blonde held his hands up in surrender. "I admit it - I did break into Winchester's PI office. He has some nice stuff in there that I wasn't expecting, especially on a PI's salary." Balthazar let out a little "aha!" and pulled out a bottle of wine from behind a bookcase. "Really, Cassie? Behind the bookcase?"
Castiel shrugged. "It's been a long time since you looked behind any of my bookcases for alcohol." He turned his attention back to his file.
Balthazar sat down in the chair across from Castiel, a wine glass in one hand and the wine in the other. "Is this the mysterious file I've been hearing so much about from our relatives?"
"If you are referring to the file I have built about the late Mary Winchester, then yes, this is that file." Castiel didn't look up as Balthazar poured wine into the glass, setting the bottle onto Castiel's desk once the blonde was done with it.
"Mm," Balthazar confirmed. "That is the very file I was talking about." He sat back into the chair, crossing his legs. "And what, may I ask, is the reason you've been telling people that you've built up this file on Dean Winchester's dead mother?" The blonde waved a hand when Castiel looked up at him, surprised. "I do hope you realize I talk to Gabriel. How else would I have heard about this extraordinary file of yours?"
Castiel narrowed his eyes at Balthazar. "That is not the only thing you're asking me."
Balthazar shrugged. "I thought I was only asking you what lie you were saying, but if there's something else you should be saying, by all means, say it."
Sam leaned towards Castiel, on the edge of his seat, and Dean smiled at the sight of his little brother so enraptured by a story. He glanced out of the window and sighed. "Alright, Sammy. Let's get going."
The younger Winchester looked away from Castiel to see the sky changing colors, signalling twilight's arrival. He smiled sheepishly at the bartender. "Sorry, Castiel. I didn't mean for this to take all day."
Castiel stood with the brothers. "It is fine. I suppose I needed to go over this with someone other than myself." He looked between the two of them. "Will you be returning tomorrow, Sam?"
Sam shook his head. "I've got work I really have to do - sorry again. But I'll be back the day after that. There's no way I'm leaving this story be," he continued, directing the last sentence at Dean.
Dean shrugged. "Alright then. See ya, Cas." He waved a hand, turning away from Castiel and walking towards the front door.
Before he followed his brother's lead, Sam looked at Castiel again. "You sure you'll be okay?"
Castiel nodded. "I have been on my own for six years, Sam. I believe I am capable of surviving one more day without a Winchester in my bar."
The taller brunette nodded, still not sure if he believed the bartender or not. After all, he had seemed shaken up about Dean's apparent apathy earlier. He'll be fine, Sam thought to himself as he turned and finally followed his brother out of the bar's front door.
A/N: So, yet another extremely late chapter, but the creature of writer's block had reared its ugly head again, making it completely impossible for me to write anything. (It was also aided by a thing called reality, which sucks because I'm still in school and will be for another, like, two weeks.) ANYWHO, did y'all like it? (No, I really don't say y'all often.) BUT BOY AM I SORRY ABOUT THE LATENESS OF THIS CHAPTER LIKE SERIOUSLY IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. THESE MONTH BREAKS ARE NOT OKAY. I guess that's what happens when you write this as you post it though. REVIEWS/CRITIQUES/WHATEVER POR FAVOR. They all get...happy Winchesters? Season 1 Winchesters?\
UPDATE 8/7/14: "The File of Mary Winchester" chapter title changed to "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" by Jim Croce.
