Chapter 29

Dean felt an overwhelming sense of relief flood over him when they emerged onto earth again, but he also felt searing pain. He yelped when his foot hit the ground and Castiel hissed in pain as well when Dean almost keeled over. Dean staggered on the old asphalt road and once he regained his footing he looked around. They weren't near anything identifiable. All that Dean could see was an old rusted mile marker sign and a young crow picking at a dead opossum on the side of road that was half decayed away. Normally Dean wouldn't have been bothered by such a sight, but between the sudden change in temperature from hot to chilly, the pain in his leg, and the fact that he hadn't eaten since hours ago. He found he had to turn his head away and hold his breath for a moment. He turned back to face Castiel.

"We walk until we reach a town," Dean breathed through the pain. "Then I'm gonna call Sam. Something tells me we're not anywhere near the bunker. The crow tells me that there's recently been a car down this road, from that direction so we're headed that way. "

"Yes Dean." That was all Castiel could muster. Dean could tell the angel was tuckered out. He sighed and lifted Castiel's arm so it was around his shoulders and the two of them begun to slowly limp and walk the opposite way of the opossum and crow and down the road. The sun was just beginning to sink lower in the sky signaling it was almost evening. Dean cursed when his leg slipped the wrong way and Castiel seemed dead on his feet, but the two slowly made their way away from the roadside carnage and towards the signs of life. The crow lifted its head up and cawed at the duo before taking off in their direction with them.

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When they reached the nearest town Dean couldn't help, but remember everything about it.

"Well I'll be damned again the universe brought me home," Dean chuckled. "We're in Lawrence."

"That is not far at all from the bunker," Castiel commented. "That's fantastic."

Dean nodded and readjusted the archangel on his shoulder and the pair continued on. Dean looked around and he took everything in. He remembered all of this from being a kid and also when Castiel had sent him back in time and he'd met his young father. The bench Dean had woken up on had advertisements on the back of it and it was starting to rot a little on the bottom. He and Castiel rounded a corner and Dean saw another familiar sight. The sight of the diner when he'd first met Young John Winchester. Perfect. Dean led Castiel into it and the door chimed behind them.

"Hey buddy," the guy behind the counter asked. "You guys ok?"

The few customers that were in the diner looked over too and one of them gasped at the sight of Dean's torn leg. A tiny bit of white bone was peeking out and Dean hissed in pain again. The man behind the counter rushed to his side, but Dean pushed him away.

"I'm fine." Dean exclaimed. "Just, water please and maybe some food. I-I'll pay."

"What happened?" the man was worried beyond belief.

"Got attacked in the woods by something," Dean explained. "I'll be okay, it wasn't rabid. It just tore right into me. Wild dog I think. Please I'll pay whatever the price is we just need some food we've been traveling for days."

"Yeah," the man nodded and let go of Dean's arm before running back behind the counter and starting up the grill. "Yeah man of course."

Dean nodded in thanks and sat down across from Castiel in the nearest booth. Castiel slumped contently against the back of the booth's chair and Dean mustered up a smile for the angel. The man who ran the place came quickly with their waters and Castiel inched forward to the straw and sucked up the liquid like it was gold. Dean gracious drank too. He was so thirsty. He shook with hunger too. The other two customers were a bit put off, but otherwise friendly. They waved goodbye to Dean and Castiel when they left and the door jingled behind them. The man who owned the diner went to the door and turned the open sign to closed.

"You two are priority right now," he explained. "I don't get much business anymore anyway. Not since the old days. Diners are losing their appeal a bit I guess. You two can stay as long as you like and don't worry about money. You're both hurting."

"So are you." Dean spoke up. He was referring to the lack of business.

"You're hurting differently than we are," the man replied. "Besides I've got my wallet right here."

"Son what did I tell you," the man scolded. "I'm doing what I think is right. Helping other people is always what's right."

"Thank you," Castiel nodded. "You are a good soul."

"Just being myself." The man smiled at a tired Castiel.

"What is your name?" the angel asked.

"Jack." The man said.

"Thanks Jack." Dean said and Jack walked back off towards the grill.

For a half hour Dean and Castiel sat in silence. The sun sunk lower in the sky until it was practically gone and the streets begun to clear as people went home to eat and sleep until the next busy day. Jack had brought candles to the table and lit them. Dean stared at the flame and it reminded him solely of Lorelei and the talks she and Dean had had.

"Cherish him for one day he will be gone."

He didn't know why her words echoed through his mind right in that moment. Maybe it had something to do with all they'd gone through. Maybe it was due to the atmosphere and how it could easily mimic Demontown in the depths of Hell. Maybe though it was the music playing softly in the background, Jack's stereo system was the only updated thing in the place and through the speakers in the ceiling Toad the Wet Sprocket's "Pray Your Gods" bled into the hunter's ears. The lyrics weren't relevant in the moment, but the music behind it all had an eerily melancholy tone that allowed Dean to drift into the past if he wanted to. His eyes broke from the fire when Jack set their food down.

"Eat all you want free of charge," Jack said. "There's a motel two blocks from here if you're looking for a place to stay for the night."

"Thanks Jack." Dean nodded and dug into his food. Castiel dug in too as Jack walked away to the back of the diner to calculate some numbers. Dean came up for air and looked over at the angel who had devoured half of his burger already and his blue eyes met Dean's.

"Is something wrong Dean?" Castiel asked.

"Nah," Dean didn't know if it was the mood lighting, the taste of food finally, or the company, but he felt more content than he ever had in the last few months. "Everything's just...right. Everything's absolutely right."

Castiel smiled in response.

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The motel Dean checked the two of them into wasn't anything spectacular. But it was enough to get them by for the night. The wallpaper hadn't been updated since before the seventies and the service consisted of one woman who ran it and no complimentary breakfast. All of the rooms were available except for the one Castiel and Dean had checked into and one other one that had been given to an obviously rich business tycoon and a sleazy hooker. Dean gave him a look that he didn't see as the couple passed Dean and Castiel. The hunter and the angel made their way down to the far end of the dingy and dimly lit hallway to their room. The carpets were older than dirt and the number on the door was faded. Dean grunted as he opened the door and limped over to the bed that was probably infested with bed bugs, but the hunter didn't care. He'd faced far worse things in his lifetime.

Dean had failed to notice something when he walked in that he was just now noticing.

There was only one bed in the room.

Dean started to look around for a couch, for anything. Normally Castiel wouldn't sleep, but these were dire consequences where the angel was probably going to pass out where he stood if he didn't get sleep soon.

"Dean," Castiel came closer and sat on the other side of the bed. "I believe we've been friends long enough to survive one night of this."

Dean couldn't respond. Did Castiel actually imply he wouldn't mind sleeping in the same bed as Dean? Dean's heart began to pound and he felt sweat pooling on the palms of his hands. Castiel leaned over slowly to remove his shoes and he threw his trench coat onto a nearby chair. His more human mannerisms ultimately freaked Dean out for he'd known the angel when he was robot per se, before he'd been introduced to the ways of earth. Dean followed suit, ditching his jacket and throwing it into the same chair Castiel's trench coat was on. Dean gingerly took off his shoes and placed them by the side table. The lamps were so dusty that Dean figured if they even bothered to turn them on it'd make no difference in light whatsoever. A tiny ray of street light peeked in through the yellowing curtains and that was enough for the hunter.

Castiel removed his suit pants and jacket and he was left in a white t-shirt and black boxers. Dean tried not to look at him, but it was so strange looking upon the angel like he was anyone else. Because, well, Castiel wasn't just anyone else and he'd certainly never been just anyone else to Dean. Dean left his pants on for fear of disrupting his broken leg's structure any more than he already had, but let his flannel shirt drop to the floor. The left side of the bed dipped with Castiel's weight and the angel settled into the pillow. Dean nuzzled his cheek into the fluffy white pillow on the right side and he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. Castiel did the same.

"Ok house rules," Dean demanded. "No snuggling, no kicking, no loud snoring, and no stealing the blankets. This goes for the both of us."

"As you wish, Dean." Castiel hid a smile from his friend.

"Good," Dean turned on his side as comfortably as a man with excruciating pain and a broken leg could. "Night Cas."

"Goodnight Dean." Castiel replied and closed his eyes.

The house rules stood, but were slowly broken for at some point Castiel managed to kick a little, Dean pushed his body closer to the adjacent heat, and Dean stole almost all of the covers in an attempt to be warmer and Castiel had to steal them back.

But neither party seemed to care much.

Reviews are appreciated and welcomed!

Well wasn't that borderline domestic?! Why won't these two idiots in love make me make it happen?

Oh well, the important thing is they made it to earth. Now what will they face when they get home?

More to come soon.