Chapter 44.

On the way back to the bunker, the music was playing more quietly than usual. Jack fell asleep and Cas returned to gazing out of the window. Dean seemed to be in good spirits and drove a little too fast. Sam felt good about the night by the fire. There was a lot less tension in the car now. It felt as if they were all back on the same team.

"You should take a nap." said Dean.

"You're not my Mom." said Sam, smirking.

"I can call Mom. I can make Mom tell you to sleep."

"You can't make her do anything. She's a Winchester and she was a Campbell first."

Dean grinned. "True." He looked back at Cas. "Hey, Cas, you doing okay back there?"

"Yes." said Cas, "Don't wake Jack."

"Are we sure Jack's okay?" said Dean quietly.

"Jack says he's okay." said Sam.

"That's not a yes." said Dean.

"No." said Sam.

"Let me worry about him." said Cas, "Sam, Dean's right."

"Always." said Dean.

"Not even eighty percent of the time." said Sam.

"But you should sleep." said Cas.

"I'm not tired." said Sam, "You two need to stop this obsession with how much or how little I sleep. You both have other things to think about."

"I like to think my mind is big enough to always have some capacity available for worrying about my little brother." said Dean.

"Your little brother is ... "

"Age is just a number." said Dean.

Cas leant forward, so his head was between the front seats. He spoke quietly to Sam, but clearly enough for Dean to hear. "Sam, your brother is using your tiredness as an excuse to shake off our help."

Sam looked at Dean. "You said you wouldn't do that."

"I didn't do that. Who are you gonna believe, me or the angel?"

"The one with no reason to lie." said Sam.

"Thankyou, Sam." said Cas, "So you'll try to sleep so Dean has no possible excuse?"

"Not here, not now." said Sam, "I need to know everybody is safely home before I waste time sleeping."

Dean turned to Cas, "You see what I mean? 'Waste time'? You see why I worry about the kid."

"Not a kid." mumbled Jack without waking.

"Neither am I, Dean." said Sam, "So, what's everyone doing when we get back?"

"I need to talk to Jules." said Cas.

"Yes you do!" said Dean.

"I make no promises ... "

"To me or to her?"

"To anyone." said Cas.

"Cas, the time has come for you to get over all those insane insecurities and get to the stuff that's not safe for work."

"Our work is never safe." said Cas, baffled.

"Dean, you're confusing him again." said Sam.

"He confuses himself!"

"Are you fighting?" said Jack, suddenly awake.

"No." said Cas, "Go back to sleep."

"I wasn't asleep. I was resting my eyes." said Jack, "Why are you fighting?"

"We're not." said Dean, "We're having a lively discussion about why this dick screws up everything he ever does."

"Dean!" said Sam. He turned to look at Cas whose eyes flashed anger, but who quickly controlled himself. "Cas, he's not himself." said Sam.

"He's also not wrong." said Cas. Sam could see his spirits sinking.

"He is wrong!" said Sam.

"You're outvoted." said Dean.

"Stop this!" said Jack.

"It's stopped." said Cas, leaning back and staring out of the window again.

"Dean, say something to him." said Sam.

"It's not him who disagrees with me." said Dean.

"Well, I disagree with you." said Jack.

Dean shrugged. "You're a damn baby." he said.

"I'm a legitimate target." said Cas, "Jack isn't."

"Last I heard, I hadn't signed up to your rules of engagement." said Dean.

"I didn't think you needed any. I thought you had honour." said Cas.

Dean pulled over to the side of the road. "Right, you wanna walk home? Go ahead. Get out of my car."

"Dean," said Sam, "Is this really the way you wanna go?"

Dean turned off the ignition and got out of the car. Sam watched him walk a short way down the road. He resisted the urge to follow. He stayed in the car, watching over the two celestials, both of which had clearly taken the unkind words to heart.

"It's my fault." said Cas.

"It's not." said Jack, "It's Dean."

"It's Michael." said Sam.

Dean came back and banged on the roof of the car. "Castiel, get out here for a minute."

"If he's walking, so am I." said Jack.

Dean handed the car keys to Jack. "I just need to talk to him."

"Are you sure that's wise, without me?" said Sam.

"I promise, I won't make this worse." said Dean.

Cas got out of the car and they walked over to the roadside. There was a whispered conversation and Cas nodded a few times, then they returned to the car and got in.

"Jack," said Dean, "I'm sorry. You are not a baby. I never should have said that. I never should have thought it. I'm a jerk." He looked at Sam. "Are you fit to drive?"

"Yes." said Sam.

"Good. We're stopping at Ionia on the way. From there, you'll drive these two home."

"Your idea, or Cas's?"

"His." said Cas, "But I approve it."

"I'm not okay," said Dean, "And the things I've been saying? They're not okay either. So I'll spend some time at Sarah's and see if she can help me get my stupid head straight. Any objections?"

"No." said Sam, "Except to the word stupid, which you have never been."

"Sam, I know what I am."

"You have no idea what you are." said Cas.

"No more arguments, okay? I am dealing with this in a mature and sensible way." said Dean.

"Yes, you are." said Sam, "But can you do something for me?"

"Depends what it is."

"That voice in your head saying this represents a failure? Tell it to take a hike. Last night, you beat Michael. Today, you're doing it again. Victory after victory. I want you to remember that."

Dean smiled sadly. "Still trying to save me from myself?"

"Always will." said Sam.

"It's not a victory until Michael is dead." said Dean.

"Will you forgive yourself then?" said Sam.

"For letting him in? I will never forgive myself for that."

"Then that still won't be a victory." said Sam.

Dean held out his hand to Jack. "Keys?"

Jack dropped the keys into the palm of Dean's hand.

"How will you get home from Ionia?" said Sam as Dean pulled out onto the road again.

"I'll call and someone can pick me up." said Dean, "But not you, because you'll be sleeping."

"You know I don't need sleep that much. You just don't want to have to spend half an hour talking to me."

"I'm not trying to avoid you, Sam. I'm trying to avoid being another millstone around your neck."

"How are those different things?" said Sam.

"They're different."

"In small, insignificant ways." said Cas.

"One is rejection, the other the opposite." said Dean.

"Both involve you walking away from me, yet again." said Sam.

Dean was getting angry. "I have never walked away from you!" he said.

"When I needed you, no, but when you need me, you run a mile."

"If I needed you, I wouldn't be able to. You're talking nonsense."

"When we get to the bunker, I can put Sam to sleep and wake him when you're ready to be picked up." said Cas, "Then you can disprove Sam's ridiculous idea that you're trying to avoid talking to him."

"Damn manipulative angels!" muttered Dean.

"It's only manipulative if you are trying to avoid him." said Cas.

Dean turned up the music and glared at the road ahead.