Sam pulled the USB out of his laptop port and shut it down before replacing the top on the item in between his thumb and forefinger. It was disguised as a little start wars figurine, tucked in the toe of one of Riley's boots in her bedroom. Yeah, he'd done some snooping around her bedroom that evening and found it. Sam couldn't feel guilty about that though.
His mind was reeling with the new information he'd just discovered and he sat back a bit, the wooden chair creaking slightly in protest. Sam turned the figurine over in his hands, studying it, contemplating the words that were on the screen a few seconds before. The information she'd acquired was incredible and the sources she'd cited were unbelievable, to say the least. Bobby must have helped her at some point because Sam swore he'd recognized a couple of the books listed as sources at the bottom of the last page.
He set the figurine down on the table in the war room after making a mental note to replace it where he'd found it when he woke up tomorrow. Sam stretched before rising from the chair and pushing it back under the table neatly. He was feeling a little shaky like his blood sugar was on the low side and he decided to head to the kitchen for a drink. His shadow disappeared down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps fading.
Castiel fluttered in the bunker a couple seconds later, frowning when he heard only silence. He moved towards the bunker's kitchen and saw Sam yawning in front of the fridge as he pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Hello Sam."
Sam nearly dropped the half empty carton and swore. "Damnit, Cas. You gotta stop sneaking up on people like that,"
The angel frowned even though Sam hadn't turned around. "I apologize, Sam. I wasn't sneaking up on you." His monotone made the other man nod.
"It's fine, Cas." Sam moved to get a glass from the cabinet, frowning when he saw the shelf empty. His hazel gaze moved to the sink, where the sixteen Men of Letters glasses were piled high in the sink along with dozens of dirty bowls, slverware and plates. Nothing had been washed since who knows when and that made his eyes sting a little with tears.
Riley always offered to wash dishes as long as someone dried them, even if she was the one who made the meal. Castiel watched Sam stare at the dirty dishes for a moment, some semblance of sadness etched on his tired features. Dean almost always beat Sam to it, immediately getting up from his spot at the table in the kitchen or in the war room as soon as Riley finished her meal, offering to dry whether or not he was finished eating.
And his brother hated dishes.
"Sam?" Castiel's voice was careful and he saw the man close his eyes for a few seconds, sensing his emotional unease.
Sam set down the orange juice carton on the counter top for a second and opened the spout before raising it to drink straight from the carton. Castiel watched him with great interest. "Why aren't you using a glass, Sam? I thought Dean said it was rude to drink without using a glass."
Sam gulped down a few swallows before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Didn't feel like it." All the glasses are dirty and Riley isn't there to wash them, he wanted to snap at the angel, even though he knew Cas didn't deserve his bitterness.
Castiel nodded in understanding as he watched the other man put the carton away in the fridge and close the door. "You look tired, Sam. You should rest."
"I'm gonna head to bed now. You gonna stick around?"
"Of course. Get some sleep, Sam."
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"You alright?" Sam asked quietly, sensing his brother's unease. He flopped back on his bed and sighed softly, exhaustion tugging at him relentlessly. "Dean? You hear me?"
Dean exhaled through his nose, his eyes closing for a couple beats. "Yeah... yeah, I'm good Sam."
"Sure?"
"Mostly." They were both quiet for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. "Sam, what if she turns?"
"Dean, don't talk like that." There was a hint of warning in Sam's tone. "Alright?"'
"Can't help it." Dean murmured, the worry he felt lacing his tone. "I can't lose her again." His emotional words made Sam smile softly. "After all the shit me and her have been through this last year... I won't lose her again."
"We won't lose her." The younger man's confident reply made Dean's chest swell some with relief, extremely grateful that his brother was holding onto enough faith for the both of them.
Another few seconds of silence ticked by before the older man changed the subject to something more positive. "She slept last night Sam. Peacefully. I never did." Dean fought back a yawn.
On the other end of the phone, Sam yawned as well. "Cas just got here a little while ago. Listen, if anything... anything seems off with her, you call him. You hear me, Dean?"
That comment made Dean's eyes close as he suddenly remembered going back to the bunker to kill his own brother and finding Riley there alone. He'd basically forced her from the bunker and kidnapped her until fate stepped in and restrained the darkness in his soul long enough for both he and Riley to be saved by Sam and Castiel at the hotel where he'd taken her. "Sammy, you know I didn't mean anything... I'm sorry about..." His voice broke some and his words trailed off into the silence of the early morning.
Sam knew his brother still carried the guilt and shame from that whole night regarding his actions towards Riley as well as his sinister intentions regarding his little brother. "I know, Dean." Was the quiet reply that came from Sam. "I'll check in with you guys in a couple hours. I'm gonna try and get some sleep."
"Alright. Later, brother."
He was just getting ready to thumb off the phone when he heard "Dean?" Sam's voice was careful.
"Yeah?" His ears were perked now.
"When I got back, I kinda snooped around in Riley's room..."
Dean almost didn't want to ask. "Yeah?"
"It just bugs me how much she knew about the Mark. I mean, me and you and Cas have done months of research and she pulled this off herself in a few weeks?"
"I really don't know, Sam." Dean suddenly sounded tired.
Sam closed his eyes briefly before his next words. "Dean, I looked on my laptop after I found a USB drive in her one of her shoes. It was her thesis."
"The hell's a thesis, college boy?" There was a hint of brotherly teasing there, something they hadn't done in months.
"Yeah. In their last year, students specialize in a subject. Remember she was a biblical studies major? They get assigned a secondary subject that was skimmed over in class to do further research on."
The older man's throat worked to swallow as his tired mind worked to process that new information. "Let me guess..." His tone was dry. "Fuckin' Mark of Cain."
"I don't think it's a coincidence that she got this assigned to her."
"Agreed." Dean paused on the other end, his mind racing with some anxiety. "Listen, let's wait for that, hm? I'm not asking her about it until we get back home. I'm not losing her again, Sam."
"That's fair." Sam smiled a tiny bit on his end. "Night, brother."
"I'll check in this afternoon sometime." Dean thumbed off his cell phone and stared out through the darkness at the lake until he heard something inside the cabin. He rose and his bare feet padded over the back deck and he slid open the door to reveal Riley, sobbing quietly in the doorway of the bedroom, down on her knees. "Hey, sweetheart... what's going on?"
His voice seemed to startle her and Riley gasped as she looked up, her eyes meeting his. "Dean." He nodded and knelt next to her, pulling her close to the warmth of his body. "I woke up and you were gone. The coffee mugs... I- I thought-,"
"I'm here." The deep timbre of Dean's voice made her eyes close tightly. "Easy, Ry. I was outside on the phone with Sam. Didn't wanna wake you." He felt her nod. "I was sitting on the back steps. Just wanted to make sure he got home okay."
"I thought I was dreaming you here." She whispered brokenly.
Dean's sleepy half smile was easy. "I'm very much here." He helped her to her feet, her legs unsteady beneath her. His hand came up to smooth her sleep tousled hair back before cupping her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her forehead before hugging Riley close. "You're shaking."
"I thought I was hallucinating." She murmured softly and his eyes closed, his brow wrinkling just the tiniest bit at her words. "Your bag was gone, the coffee mugs weren't in the sink..."
"My bag's in the bedroom closet. I washed the mugs and put them away." Dean spoke quietly. "I'm here, Riley." He felt her nod silently. "Why are you up so early?"
"I was dreaming and I woke up and you were gone."
His green eyes caught her gaze when he let her go some. "I'm here. I ain't goin' anywhere without you, sweetheart." His calloused hands cupped her cheeks and her small hands moved to his toned forearms. "You get me?" A nod from the brunette and he nodded. "Listen, Sam just got home a little while ago and he called me. Let's get you back to bed, hm?"
"Are you gonna lay with me?"
"Yeah, of course." Dean hugged her to him again, his chin on the top of her head. "C'mon." He led her back into the bedroom after locking the back door.
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Hello all!
Special thank yous to SaphyraBlu13, jloh217, ButterflyAlley, EmilyAnnMcgarrett-Winchester, Momma2Leos, KittyBear98, Dimac.31 and lizzy-marie0623 for your reviews! You guys rock!
So... Out of all the subjects/stories that Riley must have studied during her time in Decorah, Iowa, while she was earning her minor in biblical studies, she got assigned the subject of the Mark of Cain.
Coincidence?
Leave me a review! Have a great night!
CitrineMama