Chapter 67.
In the kitchen, Sam was pouring the coffee. He was deliberately not asking Sarah what she thought. Dean's concern for Cas made him wonder if something had gone wrong and his swift dismissal of both Sam and Sarah was troubling. Then again, sharing such a deep connection must be difficult for someone to whom an overly friendly handshake was an intolerable invasion of his space.
They both heard the others coming down the stairs. Sam saw Sarah touch her silver wedding ring and he knew that she was worried too. When Dean and Cas came into the kitchen, she smiled brightly and said, "How was it?"
"Okay." said Dean, "Better than okay. We are kings of the connection."
"Not mind curse?" she said.
"Not anymore." said Dean, "Turns out, he doesn't hate it any more than I do. You knew, didn't you?"
"It wasn't my place to tell you his secret." she said.
"No, I get that." said Dean. He put his hand on Cas's shoulder. "Doesn't matter now. We're on the same page. It's a relief."
"Did Cas's mental state cause any trouble?" said Sam.
"A little." said Cas.
"Nothing major." said Dean, "Cas was in control throughout. Angel minds are strong, this one, more than most."
"What Dean means is that every time I lost control of the situation, he re-established it for both of us."
"He's taking humility too far again." said Dean, "He never lost control and he helped me keep it too."
"Was it still Bobby's place?" said Sam.
"Yeah, mostly." said Dean, "We took some side trips. We can consciously change things when we want to."
"That's good." said Sarah.
"We had a slight issue with the walls." said Dean, "They talk a lot."
"About?" said Sarah.
"They say the things we don't." said Cas, "It's very disturbing. We can shut them up, but it requires an act of will. Left to their own devices, they soon start talking again."
"Do you want to talk about any of the things they said?" asked Sarah.
"No." said Cas.
"Not even a little bit." said Dean.
"I understand." said Sarah, "You've both had all the emotional exposure you can take for one day. Time for coffee and cookies. Unless you need to go spend some time meditating with the girls, Castiel?"
He smiled. "I'm fine. It really wasn't that bad. And now, I don't need to ask Heaven to kill the link."
"You were planning that, weren't you?" said Sam.
"Only as a last resort. Now it isn't needed. Dean doesn't hate the link. He doesn't hate me for being a part of it."
"I told you again and again I didn't blame you." said Dean.
"I know." said Cas, "But guilt changes perception. You know that better than anyone."
"I never should have lied to you." said Dean.
"You had to, just as I had to lie to you. Our friendship was on the line and neither of us wanted to risk it."
Sarah put out a plate of cookies. Sam gave them their coffee and all four of them sat around the table.
"So, did you see your younger self again?" said Sam.
"No, it was just us today." said Dean. A look passed between him and Cas. "I removed the door, so nothing could come in from outside."
"And that worked?"
"I told you. Kings of the connection. We can label things, we can make doors appear and disappear. We are awesome!"
"Were there strippers?" said Sam.
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" said Dean, "I had an angel with me. I was on my best behaviour."
"He was." said Cas, "There were no strippers."
Sarah smiled. "I'm sure it was all very wholesome."
"Of course it was." said Dean. He smiled at her and said, "Thanks, Sarah, for everything."
"As I told Sam, you boys give me too much credit. All I do is offer some support. You've all achieved amazing things and I am so happy for you."
"Without you, I wouldn't have even tried." said Dean, "And if I'd tried, I would have failed. And I never would have told Cas the truth."
"Well, I'm glad you did." she said, "It was time you both knew. I was sure you'd eventually be honest with each other."
"You know, for a friendship based on lies and half-truths, this one turns out to be pretty resilient." said Dean.
"Because you're both honest when it matters." said Sam.
"Actually, we're often not." said Dean, "Sometimes, that's when we lie the most."
"What would the walls say to that?" said Sam.
"Who cares what the dumbass walls say?" said Cas.
Dean smiled at him. "I'm with Cas on this."
