Author's Note: Final spoiler alert for The Man Who Would Be King. I don't own any character other than baby Winchester.
Chapter Inspiration: Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy
Chapter 21
Hermione got all of a minute to take in the sight of Dean sleeping on Bobby's couch, before he stirred. He was not the same as when she had left him. He was slightly skinnier, definitely paler, and he didn't look peaceful asleep as he once had. Once he stirred, she noticed how much jerkier his movements seemed. His now opened eyes narrowed in on Cas first, as she was standing slightly behind the angel.
"Hello Dean." Castiel greeted.
"How did you get in here?" Dean's voice sounded confused. She watched him look around. Her eyes followed where his had gone to see spray painted sigils on the windows nearby.
"The angel proofing Bobby put up on the house, he got a few things wrong." Castiel informed the still tired hunter.
"Well, it's too bad we have to angel proof in the first place, isn't it? Why are you here?" Dean questioned, impatient for Castiel to explain his sudden appearance.
"I want you to understand..." Castiel began to explain, rendering Hermione's presence completely unnecessary, however, Dean interrupted.
"Oh, believe me, I get it. Blah, blah, Raphael, right?"
Dean's impatience sparked something resembling defiance in Castiel. Something he was unused to dealing with. "I did this for you Dean. I did this because of you."
Dean scoffed before commenting. "Because of me." He let out a humorless laugh before continuing. "You've got to be kidding me."
"You're the one who taught me that freedom, and free will..." Castiel began to try and defend again before being cut off.
"You're a freaking child, you know that?" Dean accused harshly. "Just because you can do what you want, doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want." Each word was said louder, and louder, until he was angrily yelling at Castiel.
It was that moment Hermione decided she couldn't take it any longer. Stepping out from behind the angel, she situated herself between the two and held a hand out towards each. "Now, that's enough you two!" Her voice was firm and stern.
"Hermione?" Dean questioned, his anger replaced by confusion.
"Yes, it's me, nice to see you too by the way." Hermione commented quickly.
"How did you get here?" Dean asked again.
"Not important right now. What is important, is that Castiel came to see me. He told me about what's been going on, what he's done, and the mistakes he's made. He came here to tell you that he's decided that you were right." Hermione replied, turning so that Castiel was behind her. There was no question who she was addressing.
"Right?" Dean asked, too many thoughts and words spiraling through his brain.
"Yes Dean, you were right to confront Cas about his connection to Crowley, and the two of them going after Purgatory. He knows that, and he's ready to find different means to defeat Raphael. Isn't that right Cas?" She continued, turning to address her question to the angel who was remaining quiet behind her.
"She's correct, Dean." The angel told the now flummoxed hunter.
"So, what, you're just going to stop working for Crowley now?" Dean asked.
"Isn't that what we just said?" Hermione asked, annoyed that point had to be reiterated.
"You don't understand Hermione, Crowley has the ability to retaliate against those who don't hold up their end of any deal." Dean explained.
"Of course he does, Dean. He's the King of Hell." Hermione replied, resisting any and all urge to roll her eyes at him.
"How did you know that?" Dean asked her, astounded.
"Castiel." Hermione shrugged as if it were no big deal. "Anyways, he's decided not to pursue it."
"Sure, and put how many people at risk from Crowley?" Dean asked, arms crossing across his chest. Hermione knew he often did that when agitated.
"People are already at risk, namely you, your brother, and Bobby. I'm convinced a different method of defeating Raphael will free you from any further danger." Castiel replied.
"Except now you've gone to Hermione, which I'm sure Crowley's heard about by now. She's now at risk, and he can use her as leverage!" Dean exclaimed angrily.
"The only leverage he'd have using me, is on Castiel." Hermione muttered.
"No, that's nowhere near true. If Crowley were to get his hands on you, he'd have leverage on all of us." Dean replied, hurt bordering on the edge of his angry tone.
"Whatever." Hermione replied. "Why not help Castiel find an alternate 'defeat Raphael' plan before this becomes an issue?"
"So, what? You think I should trust him enough to work with him?" Dean questioned.
"No. I'm saying work with him. He has to earn your trust back." Hermione pointed out. Standing between these two was becoming painful. She pressed her hand into her lower back, hoping to ease some of the muscle pain she was experiencing. It didn't help.
"You okay?" Dean questioned, seeing immediately the way she massaged her lower back.
"I'm fine." Hermione snapped. "You and Cas work your crap out. I'm going back to Hogwarts." Hermione pulled her wand from her jeans pocket, ready to take the risk of apparating to get away from the fighting, and somewhere more comfortable.
"You're not apparating." Dean countered.
"Watch me!" Hermione challenged, her wand poised and waiting.
"Dean's right, Hermione. It is not wise right now." Castiel warned.
"Fine, Cas, take me back to Hogwarts so you and Dean can talk." Hermione demanded.
"Remember, I am unable to fly you back in." Castiel pointed out.
"You're the one who flew her out!" Dean exclaimed.
"It's safer to fly out than in." Castiel replied, not seeing what the big deal was about.
"So, you put their lives at risk, just to come here and talk?" Dean questioned heatedly. Hermione didn't understand why Dean was ranting at Cas about her safety.
"There was negligible risk, Dean. If there was more of a danger, I wouldn't have done it." Castiel replied.
"Because I believe that." Dean said sarcastically.
"You don't have to, Dean. I did, and he got me here in one piece. Now all I have to do is get back in one piece so I'm close to Luna." Hermione replied sharply.
Dean flinched. She was actively trying to get away from him. It was his own fault. "Well, I'm concerned that there may not be, so you may as well calm down."
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?" Hermione lost it, making Dean and Castiel both flinch, as well as waking up Sam and Bobby. "You mean as calm as you were when Cas and I arrived?"
"Hermione…" Dean tried to explain before she went on.
"I don't see why this is a big deal. It's not like you care."
The wind rushed out of Dean's lungs at her statement. Sam and Bobby were wide eyed, their gazes bouncing back and forth between a furious Hermione, and a defiant Dean. Castiel was watching the exchange with compassion for both individuals involved.
"Not like I care?" Dean's voice had barely any volume to it. "Not like I care?"
"No, you made that clear when you sent me back to England. When you chose hunting over your family." Hermione accused.
Dean flinched. She was right of course, but hearing it out loud felt like being stabbed in the chest. "You think…" He couldn't get the rest of the sentence out.
"Yes, that's exactly what I think, and that's why I'll find a way back home. Come Hell or high water." Hermione informed him, turning to walk towards the door.
She didn't get two steps before she heard Dean speak again. "What if I admitted that I was wrong?"
Four pairs of eyes whipped to Dean. He never admitted when he was wrong. One gaze though, was more suspicious than surprised. "What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't do it because I didn't care. It was all about keeping you safe." Dean replied.
"So, what? You think now that Castiel has showed up at my door, putting me in danger, you have to justify yourself now?" Hermione questioned.
"No. I was on the verge of telling you myself before Cas showed up with you." Dean admitted.
"I'm supposed to believe that? You told me that you were in this with me, then suddenly you turn around and tell me that you won't be a hunter and father, and that I had to leave. Well, let me tell you, I left, and I went back to England. I didn't make it back to Hogwarts at first. I'm lucky I made it to a bed and breakfast. When Harry, Ron, and Ginny found me, I hadn't eaten or drank anything for days." Hermione released everything at Dean, ignorant to the shocked onlookers of Castiel, Sam, and Bobby. "Luna was pissed at me for not taking care of myself, and admitted me to a magical hospital for a week. I was released to the care of Hogwarts, and its staff. They're the ones who have taken care of me, they're the ones who have made sure that I've made all my appointments with Luna, and that I'm taking care of the baby, and myself. I owe them a great deal. Now, you tell me that you cut me out because you cared about my safety? Save the bullshit for someone who believes you."
Dean was beyond shocked. She had unloaded truth he had no clue about. He knew Harry at least was mad at him, Bobby had told him as such, since they were still in contact with each other. No one knew that Hermione had crashed. When no one said anything, Hermione went on, this time with tears streaking down her cheeks, unchecked.
"The worst part of all, was the realization that I am not the brightest witch of my age, despite what the papers, and people have called me over the years. I'm not the smartest, and I don't know it all, despite what Harry and Ron jokingly accuse me of from time to time. If I was, I'd have known better than to fall in love with you!" Hermione yelled the last sentence, before waddling as fast as was possible in her condition, out the front door, slamming it behind her.
The stunned group looked at the door Hermione had exited. She'd unloaded a lot of information on them, and no one quite knew where to start processing, least of all, Dean. Castiel mumbled his apologies, and stated he felt that the situation between Hermione and Dean took precedence, and then he flew off. Bobby and Sam muttered something about finding coffee, before scurrying for the kitchen. Dean however, was rooted to the spot he'd been standing in when she'd yelled her confession of love for him. His heart was pounding as he weighed each word she'd spoken to him, wringing her message of its meaning. The bottom line was that she'd made him feel as if he were a coward, and that was not a normal feeling for him. Of course, he'd been accused of being one, however, he'd never felt as if he were. Now, he did feel that he was. He found himself second guessing his intentions for the first time.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before walking towards the door. When he swung it open, he was surprised to find Hermione standing on the porch in front of the top step, her hand on the railing. Her face was turned towards the sky, and tears were still pouring down her cheeks. Dean closed the door quietly and moved so that he was standing parallel to her, leaning against the opposite rail.
"I suppose the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Dean commented casually.
"Really? An aphorism?" Hermione scoffed, pressing her free hand to her lower back again. "You might as well follow it up with the alternative 'Hell is full of good meanings, but Heaven is full of good works.'"
"I'm sorry." Dean said sincerely. It seemed too simple, like the words themselves were not enough, but he didn't do apologies. That seemed to him like a bigger step than just feeling it.
"Do you even really mean that?" Hermione asked, her voice soft and small.
"Yeah. I don't do apologies, but I really do feel it" Dean confessed, coughing at the end at the cheesiness of the moment.
"Why did you really do it?" Hermione asked.
"An angel named Balthazar. He changed an event in history that created an alternate reality. One in which you were murdered by demons because I was still a hunter." Dean admitted reluctantly.
"Well, I'm still alive, so I'm assuming he went back and undid whatever it is that he did?" Hermione surmised.
"Yeah, but at a price. Two hunters that were alive in that reality, dead in this one, had to die again. It was up to Sam and Bobby to get Balthazar to undo what he did. Cas made sure that Bobby wouldn't remember though. He allowed me and Sam to remember the alternate reality though." Dean explained.
"Okay." Hermione replied, seeing things a little more clearly the more he talked.
"Before that, Sam asked me if I was going to hunt and parent, and when I said I wasn't sure what I was going to do, he asked a question that, don't tell him, but it hit a nerve. He asked me how I could continue to hunt while parenting, and not turn into our father." Dean admitted, feeling weak.
"I'm going to assume that would not be a good thing?" Hermione asked for clarification.
"No, our father was obsessed with hunting. We were alone a lot, sometimes for weeks, to fend for ourselves. We bounced around all over the country, going from school to school, never staying in one place. We came second to his hunt for revenge. It's what drove Sam away, and took me longer to realize." Dean continued to bare his soul to Hermione.
"Oh, Dean." Hermione gasped, feeling compassion for the man beside her, despite the fact she was still angry at him for cutting her out of his life. Suddenly, it all made sense. "You really did all this in a misguided attempt for us, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but leave it to me to screw it up." Dean commented, looking away from her so she wouldn't see that his eyes were slightly glassier than normal.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"I took the cowards way out, and here you are, back to help all of us keep Cas from breaking the world." Dean replied.
"He came to tell me a story and get my outside perspective. I just gave him my opinion, and he listened. He originally zapped me here so I could tell you, but, we all know how that went. That's the reason I came, I didn't come to upset you, or even to unload like I did. I apologize for that, and I'll apologize to Sam, Cas, and Bobby later. They shouldn't have had to listen to me lose it." Hermione said.
"I deserved it." Dean admitted.
"I suppose so, just not with an audience." Hermione half agreed.
"So, do you forgive me?" Dean asked, holding his breath for her answer.