Cas looked over at Eileen, seeing her staring intent at the computer. Sam was at another table and another sweep of the room told him Dean was not here. Cas wondered if it might have to do with their strained relationship and Dean wanted to do research in his room. Ever since Sam's announcement that Chuck was weak, they had spent the last two days looking tirelessly for any sign of Chuck and Lilith out in the world. Seeing Eileen looked more invested in what she was looking at, Cas decided to approach her. After all it might be a lead.
Cas moved beside the female hunter and she looked up at him. "What are you looking at?" he asked, being sure she was looking at his face while he spoke. Cas didn't have any problem with most spoken languages, however sign language was not one he knew so he had to rely on Eileen's ability to read lips. She glanced back at the screen.
"I'm not sure." she said. Sam had looked over at them, and seeming to decide they probably had something more helpful then he did, he got up and walked over to see what it was. Eileen looked up at him as he came to her other side.
"Is it a lead on Chuck? Or Lilith?" Sam asked while also signing. Eileen sighed then looked at Cas before turning to look back at Sam.
"Not exactly." she explained. Sam gave her a confused look. She sighed again. "I was thinking about when Dean went for a drive the other day." she said. Sam's expression turned to confusion and he shook his head to show he wasn't understanding. Dean went out for a drive and came back. Sure it was a long drive, but there wasn't much to it. In fact it was a good thing that Dean got out for a bit, especially before Sam had seen Chuck's memories since they were all buried in research now. Cas put a hand on Eileen's shoulder to get her attention.
"What about it?" he asked when she turned to him. Truthfully Cas was mildly annoyed at Dean's drive. Yes what was going on was overwhelming, but Dean had already been gone when Cas got to the bunker and he never answered his phone that night. In fact Dean never once mentioned where he was or why his phone was off for whatever drive he went on.
"Well, when he came back, there was a cut on his face that wasn't there before." Eileen said Cas and Sam both pulled back a little at this. Cas recalled when Dean came into the bunker. Dean did indeed have a cut on his face and he had looked flustered, on edge. However he said he had just gotten Cas' message so he was probably just worried about Sam. Cas also hadn't seen Dean since Rowena's death, so he didn't think much of the cut. Dean could have gotten it from any number of hunts. Sam thought about it too and realized he hadn't really noticed it. He was used to seeing Dean with cuts and scrapes and not too long ago Dean had two cuts on either side of his face from Lilith.
"Eileen," Sam started, getting her attention by touching her shoulder "Dean's cut up all the time. He probably got it…" Sam started.
"In the car on a drive?" Eileen asked. Sam looked at Cas for that one. That was odd for Dean to get a cut if he was just driving in the car. There was no way any damage came to the Impala, that would have been something they would have been immediately informed about. So Dean wasn't in the car when he got it. Now that Sam thought about it two days of driving just to clear his head might have been a bit much. They hadn't really thought about it before because of everything going on. Sam felt the same concern that settled in his gut when Dean initially spoke of leaving return. Dean had a habit of running off and doing something on his own when he was upset. He recalled a few times when Dean left and texted or called him later to inform him he was on a hunt.
"You think he went on a hunt." Cas said, almost as if he read Sam's mind. Either that or he drew the same exact conclusion. Eileen was looking between them and had caught what Cas said.
"I figured since Dean was only gone for about two days, he didn't go anywhere further than a half a day's drive." Eileen said. She clicked on a minimized document on her computer to bring up a map. Lebanon was in the center and a red circle went around it. Looking at it Sam figured it was about a six hour drive radius. "One of the places in that circle had something strange." Eileen continued, selecting a minimized webpage. An article came up on the screen titled 'My Friend and her Car were Raptured'. Cas frowned.
"A car can't be raptured." He said. Sam glanced at him, giving him a look to tell him that wasn't the concern at the moment but decided not to say anything. Sam looked back at the article, skimming it. It was a woman named Angela Sullivan who went missing in Texhoma Texas, only a few hours drive.
"Anything else?" Sam asked and signed to Eileen. She nodded and brought up another article.
"Two days ago a local bar owner went missing." she said, looking up at Sam, then Cas. "Sheriff Dillon said it looked like a struggle. The bartender Lorna said that there was a fight the night before in the bar but it was cleaned up. She would have assumed that the men who were thrown out had come back to destroy the place when it was closed, however the bar owner has been missing since then." Eileen explained. Sam nodded.
"Yeah, seems like Dean went on a case." Sam agreed. He was a little annoyed that Dean would run off on a case on his own. It was irresponsible, everything Sam always told Dean not to do. He went into something with no information on what it could be without any back up and even turned off his phone according to Cas, so he couldn't even call for it had he needed it. Then he hadn't even said anything to them! Sam knew that sometimes when Dean hit a low he had to go out and get a win to remind himself of why he still did this, of why they push themselves the way they do, but he wished Dean didn't keep it all to himself. Curious, Sam scrolled down and froze when he saw the picture of the bar owner.
"Sam?" Cas asked, seeing how tense Sam got. Cas looked back at the screen, looking at the picture and reading the caption.
"Sam? What's wrong?" Eileen asked. Sam looked at Cas, then Eileen to make sure she was looking at him.
"That's…that's Lee Webb." Sam said. Cas and Eileen both gave him a confused look to show they didn't have any idea what he was talking about. "He used to hunt with us from time to time when we were younger. Dad thought he was a good fighter and a good hunter. He was a little older than us and him and Dean…well they were really close. He's probably the closest thing Dean had to a friend back then." Sam said. Eileen frowned and glanced back at the article.
"It says he owned the bar for the last fifteen or so years." Eileen said, sounding confused. Sam thought for a moment.
"Yeah, I guess he must have retired or something. I haven't heard him mentioned once since I left for college. I guess I didn't really think about it when his contact information wasn't in any of Dean's or dad's phones and journals. I guess I just assumed he died." Sam admitted, looking between Cas and Eileen again.
"So, what? Are you thinking he called Dean?" Cas asked. Sam shrugged.
"I don't know maybe? Maybe he noticed something weird and called Dean for help? If he's been retired for so long he was probably a bit rusty and…oh god!" Sam froze, draining of all color. Cas and Eileen glanced to each other before focusing on Sam.
"Sam?" Eileen asked. Sam took a deep breath.
"He probably wanted to help Dean on the hunt, for old times' sake or something. If he's missing, then he probably died on that hunt with Dean." Sam said. Cas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He suddenly reevaluated his reasoning for Dean's absence in the room. It probably had nothing to do with him at all. The three of them knew Dean well enough. They all knew he was feeling lost and down with Chuck and losing Mary, Jack, Arthur, and Rowena. He probably wanted a hunt for a win and if a friend called for help of course Dean would be there in a moment. Then that friend was killed too. And for it to be such a longtime friend must have been a hard blow. "I'm going to go check on Dean." Sam announced and both Cas and Eileen nodded.
Sam rushed down the halls toward his brothers room, wondering what must be going through Dean's head. He knew in the back of his mind that this was all speculation and he had no real proof. There really wasn't anything to say Dean didn't just go on a drive and it was all a random coincidence that something that was clearly a hunt happened so close with someone who Dean had been friends with for over a decade. However in their line of work there was almost no such thing as coincidence. Sam didn't even want to imagine the fact Dean was possibly suffering, mourning the loss of a good friend while Sam, Cas, and Eileen hadn't even noticed. Sam bodily stopped for a moment. Scratch that. Sam and Cas hadn't noticed. Eileen had. Eileen had seen the cut, had seen how much Dean withdrew and decided to look into it. Sam and Cas had been so distracted with Sam nearly dying and the memories that Sam saw that they hadn't even noticed.
Sam reached Dean's door and knocked. There was no answer so Sam tried a second time, this time a little harder than the first. There still was no answer. Sam grabbed the door knob and opened the door. Dean was laying across his bed on his stomach facing the t.v. He had his arms crossed and was resting his chin on them, a few beer bottles within reach right over the edge. Sam glanced at the t.v. and felt his stomach twist. If Sam needed any proof that Dean at least knew about Lee, it was this.
All seven season boxsets of 'Dukes of Hazzard' were stacked beside the t.v. and one episode was already playing on the screen. Sam was sure they hadn't owned that a few days ago so Dean probably got them from a nearby video store. The particular scene that was on was easily recognizable, if for nothing else but Bo Duke's bright red button-up shirt. Bo and Luke were running out of a building and Luke was sliding across the hood of the General Lee to the passenger seat while Daisy, who had been filing her nails, was sitting in the middle. It was an episode from season one where Bo and Luke took down a group of music pirates to get their cousin her money back for stealing her song. It was one of Dean's favorite episodes, but weather it was because of Daisy's tight pink silk outfit or because Daisy won the day by pretending to be a professional singer was never something Dean said.
Sam knew Dean always liked 'Dukes of Hazzard'. He watched it a few times and Sam had a feeling part of it had come from the fact that John used to say it was the very first show Dean ever saw. Their parents had just brought Dean home from the hospital two days after he was born when the pilot first aired on the television. They grew up watching it and John was fond enough of the show that even years later when they were grown he would play the opening song 'Good Ol' Boys' before a hunt always saying "Listen up boys, this is real music." At some point John had stopped playing it, but Sam noticed the song was usually played when Lee was around.
Sam moved to sit on the edge of Dean's bed. Dean didn't look at Sam and the only form of acknowledgement he gave was shifting over a bit to give Sam some room. Sam look at Dean for a moment before returning to watching the show. Dean reached over the edge of the bed to grab a half empty bottle and take a drink from it.
"So, 'Daisy's Song' huh?" Sam asked, glancing back at the screen.
"Daisy's song." Dean confirmed. He winced slightly when Bo hit a police car with the front of the General in their escape and Sam knew it was him thinking about his own car. Sam didn't know how to address this and Dean didn't seem interested in talking.
"Scooby doo run its course?" Sam tried, recalling how Dean mentioned not too long ago that he had been marathoning Scooby-doo, another show Dean watched when he needed stability.
"Just felt like a change." Dean dismissed taking another drink. Sam knew if he was going to get anywhere with Dean, he would have to just come out and ask him.
"Because of Lee Webb?" Sam asked. Dean actually looked over at him and Sam gave him a guilty smile. "Eileen found the article. She was…we are worried about you." he said. Dean turned back to the show. "What was it?" Sam asked, wanting to know what monster could have done this. Dean took another drink.
"A Marid." he said, and Sam was relieved Dean wasn't trying to lie and say he didn't know what Sam was talking about. Sam didn't know what that was but figured he would look it up later in the library. Right now he had to figure out what Dean was thinking.
"And Lee?" he asked.
"Ash." Dean was back to the one word answers and Sam hated it when he did that. It meant he was shutting him out.
"Dean, if you want to talk about…" Sam started.
"No." Dean said, looking up at Sam and giving him a hard look. Sam knew Dean wouldn't like it if he pushed but he was worried.
"Dean I know you wanted to help Lee but why didn't you ask me and Eileen to come with you. We could have helped and…" Sam started.
"Just drop it Sam." Dean said. Something about it didn't sound right. Sam looked Dean over, looking for any other injures or signs. He could see a tear in Dean's arm where a vein is, almost like Dean ripped out another i.v. He could see a few faded bruises but if any of those came from this hunt or anything prior Sam couldn't exactly tell.
"What else happened Dean?" Sam asked, because something else had to have happened. Dean wasn't even looking at him though, too focused on the plot of an episode that Sam knew he had seen so many times that he knew it word for word without it even being played.
"Dean?" Dean and Sam both glanced at the door to see Eileen and Cas standing there. Sam wanted to be angry at the interruption but he knew it wouldn't have made a difference. Dean wasn't going to answer him and Sam realized that whatever happened on this hunt that had shaken Dean so much was going to forever remain a mystery.
"Cas, Eileen, come here." Dean said, gesturing for them to come in. They both gave Sam a confused look and Sam could only shrug, just as lost about Dean's sudden shift. Dean pushed himself up and moved so that he was sitting against the headboard and his legs were off the side. Dean gestured for them to sit down. Eileen sat on the bed behind Sam and Cas pulled a chair from the side over and sat down. They all looked at Dean, waiting for something to happen. Dean grabbed the remote. "Have you guys seen Dukes of Hazzard?" he asked. Cas and Eileen gave Sam a confused look before turning back to Dean and shaking their heads. Sam realized it was highly unlikely they had. Eileen was born and raised in Ireland. Cas has a lot of pop culture knowledge thanks to Metatron, but those were mostly related to books and anything that had to do with movies or television shows mostly came from Dean. "Oh your gonna love this." and with that Dean went to the main menu, putting on the subtitles before starting the episode over from the start.
Sam knew there was so much wrong right now. They had just lost so much, there wasn't much going on that made sense and they still had to find a way to deal with Chuck and Lilith. However they could spare enough time to watch this episode, to pretend for fifty minutes that everything was fine and that the biggest concern they had was how Bo and Luke would get out of trouble with the FBI and the Hazzard County police department. He heard Dean start to babble on about it, see Eileen look between Dean and the screen, trying to watch him and the show but probably losing all information from both sources, to see the confused look on Cas' face as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Sam couldn't help but smile. Things were going to be alright.