A/N: Sorry for the late update! Homework and play practice is hectic. So anyway you guys are super awesome so thank you so much for everything you've done, whether you read, favorite, follow, or review! So if I do make a mistake don't hesitate to call me out as kindly as you can and I'll fix it ASAP.
Silence met by more silence. Dean was used to a blank expression from Cas but this... was more than blank. It was a sort of a resigned... contentedness... and it scared Dean shitless.
"Sam I need to talk to you real quick," Dean said after a moment, his voice in a whisper. Sam looked at him, as if to read his intentions, but Dean only nodded his head towards the hall. Sam signaled a single finger, then began talking to Cas quietly. Dean stepped into the hall, waiting for Sam.
There were even more photos in the halls. They were hung everywhere, from the doors to the wall behind them to the wall surrounding the stairs. With a quick glance, there was one picture that caught Dean's attention.
There was eight people in the photo. In the back stood two adults, who looked eerily familiar, and two other adults in front of them. The first couple were smiling contentedly, holding each other. Dean could only assume they were married. The couple in front seemed much happier, the woman flashing a ring to the camera while holding her, Dean guessed her fiancé, tightly. Then, there was a younger version of Miss Novak, who was hugging a girl with blonde hair close to her. Next to the girl was a tall boy with dark hair and... Cas.
Were they cousins? Or were they siblings? Dean shook his head, not wanting to think about the picture any longer. Sam finally came into the hall and immediately Dean burst out with agitation.
"We have to leave," Dean said, not wanting to meet Sam's eyes.
"Dean-"
"Soon!" he said quickly, interrupting Sam. Sam scoffed, his eyes wide. He began to whisper harshly.
"Look, I get it! This is disturbing shit but-"
"No, Sam, you don't get it, okay? This thing is-"
"Don't rag on about 'me being safe' or so help me-"
"Sam! We can't afford this! We are so close. Six months, Sam!" Dean said, his voice rising above a whisper just enough that Cas turned his head towards them. He turned back after a couple seconds, and Sam and Dean continued to argue.
"Dean! We can help people for once! We can't just let this happen," Sam said in anger.
"Sam, I know you're all about helping the people but you're a fucking thirteen year old kid and-"
"Don't!" Sam yelled, Cas didn't bother to turn towards them this time. Dean crossed his arms in irritation, avoiding Sam's eyes still.
"Don't. You. Dare. Do that. We heard enough of that from Dad," Sam continued, returning to a whisper. Dean reached a new level of outrage.
"Shut up okay, not everything needs to be about Dad!" Dean said, not caring about the volume that his voice met.
"Well maybe we should stop running! Stop ignoring things because eventually it's going to catch up to us and-"
"Would you shut up about that?" Dean yelled. Realizing what was being said, Dean went white. They were silent for a few seconds.
"That... only happened once. We only ignored something once. Nobody really got hurt. We had to do what was best for us, okay?" Dean said quietly, sighing. Sam looked ready to apologize, but irritation still displayed across his face.
"I couldn't help but overhear-" Cas began, but stopped when Dean jumped in surprise.
"Jesus Christ Cas!" Dean exclaimed, thankful for the interruption.
"I apologize again," Cas said softly, then returning to his previous statement, "I believe your brother is correct."
"My brother- what?" Dean asked, looking from Cas to Sam.
"You should help me investigate this," he said, squinting at the room around him, "I would most likely require help on this-"
"You know what Cas?" Dean said, glowing with infuriation, "we don't need to help you. We need to leave."
"But your Uncle Ernie-"
"We don't want a part of something we don't even understand!" Dean said, shaking his head firmly. Both Cas and Sam fell silent, listening to the sound of wind outside the room. Cas looked toward Dean, wanting to say something, anything, to deter him from his decision. But Dean was firm in his decision, and Sam knew it would be a pain in the ass to convince him when they had just hashed it out. Dean wanted to leave as fast as he could, the pictures around him leaving him with an eerie sense of sadness.
"Let's go," Dean said quietly, his eyes begging Sam to come with him.
"Dean, I-" Cas began, but Dean raised his hand up as if to ask for silence. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Cas-" Dean said, then sighed. "It's okay. Really. I want to help you but... we're not sure yet, okay?" Cas looked hurt but nodded softly.
"I understand," Cas said, looking back towards the room, the laptop, then back at Sam and Dean.
What Dean didn't know, as they left without another word was that there was a silent agreement hanging in the room. It started with a few whispers between Cas and Sam, then ended with a noiseless verification of their intentions. Later that day, Sam would go home and research. Cas would continue to look into whatever they were up against. But this was unknown to Dean, so he went home, resting assured that Sam was safe.
But something still bothered him. Was it Cas? He had only known the guy a day and he felt this sort of... payment was due to him. To help him figure out what was happening.
As Dean turned to look back towards the ceiling, he couldn't help but allow his thoughts to drift back to the photos. His aunt had said it was just them... and something about that put Dean off. What had happened to the people in the photo? Were they gone or were they never really there?