"Just for your information, I don't approve this."
"Yeah, Seth. These days you don't approve of anything that I do." Dean sighed. "But to show that I give a fuck, I'm gonna ask. What the fuck are you talking about now?"
"Her being here."
Dean stood in awe. No words were necessary to describe his puzzlement.
"I know I said I wouldn't interfere with your life but –" He got interrupted.
"You can't help yourself."
Seth didn't find Dean's cocky attitude funny. He knew he messed up before when he took matters into his own hands. Dean was right; he couldn't stay away. Not when his friend's relationship and life was at stake. Seth cared; he couldn't pretend he didn't. What kind of friend he would be? Not a good one for sure, although it appeared Dean would prefer him that way.
"I mean well," Seth defended his actions.
"Sure you do . . . So what is this about? Is this another threat? Like when you jeopardized my relationship with Renee? Hmm? Tell me. Just say it, Seth. Make yourself feel better." Dean was daring Seth to do something that clearly Dean didn't want him to.
"Could you stop acting like a jerk? All I want is to warn you."
"Yeah, after all that's all you ever do, isn't it? It's not your fault it turns against you. You poor little bastard."
"Fine. Be an asshole. I don't care," Seth exclaimed, tossing his hands around. "Go ahead, fuck up your life completely."
Dean realized that maybe he went a little too far. But he didn't feel like apologizing. "All right." Lowering and calming his voice was all that he was willing to do. "What is this buzz about?"
"You know very well what this is about." Seth really believed Dean knew precisely what he was talking about and therefore no explanation was necessary. So he stayed quiet.
"Seth," Dean called his name, sort of begging. Although he made it hard to see, he wanted to know the reason why Seth came to him. He was curious at least.
Seth gave up. He wouldn't keep it to himself. He said, explaining his attitude, "I really don't think you should have invited her here. If you still believe you can make it up with Renee, despite all that has happened in the last few months –" Dean hadn't told Seth that as of right now, there were no problems that he and Renee'd be facing. Everything was all right between them. Actually, it was better than ever. But it appeared that Seth still thought the break up could happen any time; and it would – at least according to him.
"Wait," Dean interrupted him, concerned. "What are you talking about? Who I shouldn't have invited?"
"Well, Cassie." Seth found it odd that it needed to be said.
"All right." Dean breathed in. He tried to clear his mind because he did not understand. It was not that Seth would speak confusingly, he just probably counted on Dean having information that he in reality missed. "Start from the beginning. Who is where?"
"Your ex-girlfriend Cassie is in the arena. And, in my opinion, it was not a good idea to invite her somewhere that your current girlfriend can meet her." Seth still didn't get it.
Dean raised his right eyebrow. "You see my surprised reaction and you still believe I invited her? This is the first time I hear about it. And I agree with you that it's not good." Dean looked worried. He really did.
"Are you serious? You had no idea at all?"
"Do I look like I knew that she was here?" He let go of the initial instinct to be sarcastic. There was no time. Dean realized that now was not the right time to show his typical nature but think and act adequately. "Where's she now?" He demanded an answer.
"I don't know."
"Where did you see her?" Dean asked another question. To show he really needed that information, his hands were on Seth's collar. It was not an arrogant or dominant gesture but rather an urgent one.
Seth thought; he needed to give Dean an answer. "I don't know . . . I only caught a glimpse of her. It could have been anywhere. These halls all look same to me."
But Dean was focusing on the opening part of the confession. "Caught a glimpse of her? So you're telling me you're not even sure it was her?" Dean appeared much calmer now. The initial panic was gone since it was turning out Seth probably saw some other red-headed woman and mistook her for Dean's ex-girlfriend. That happens.
"No, no." Seth confidently refused being wrong. "It was her. I would recognize her anytime."
"Seth, you saw her once in your whole life."
"So what? I know what I saw."
"You're absolutely sure?"
Seth nodded. The worries had returned. Maybe it was a mistake . . . but then again, what if not? Was Dean willing to risk that Cassie could be walking through the arena and "accidentally" bump into Renee? "I need to find her before it's too late." He turned to Seth, "You're coming with me or what?"
Seth followed him without another sign of hesitation. While hurryingly seeking the trespasser, Dean had to wonder. "How did she even get here?" She did not work there. She had no right to get to the backstage. Yet she somehow did manage to get there.
"Too easily apparently," Seth replied. "Maybe she told someone she knew you."
"If it was that easy, this place would be crowded."
"All right. But she had to do something sneaky."
Dean chuckled. "Like taking her shirt off." He wondered if that would get her in.
"Nah, she doesn't have big enough boobs," Seth jokingly uttered.
Dean stopped. He looked at Seth as at the mortal enemy. "What?" he asked angrily.
Seth didn't get scared, though. "You heard me."
"Like you saw her naked."
"As a matter of fact, I did."
"When?" Dean's irritated voice was indicating that it'd be better if Seth called off that statement. But he had no reason to; he knew he was in right.
"It was a while ago, but that image won't disappear from my mind any time soon," Seth kept teasing him. Dean still didn't understand, so Seth reminded him, "You had her picture in your phone, remember?"
Dean sighed. "That." It all came back to him. The naked pictures. The reason why Seth told Renee about Cassie. Dean had totally forgotten about it. Dean's face stayed serious. "For your own sake, I hope that you didn't send it to your phone."
Seth dramatically laughed. "Ha-ha." His expression changed a second later. "Seriously now, your ex. Are you hiding something? Can she reveal something that Renee's not supposed to know?"
Typical, Dean said to himself. Dean impersonated Seth, "Dean has to be hiding something. He's not faithful to Renee. Blah, blah, blah." Dean didn't even care to prove him wrong. If Seth wanted to believe that, then so what. The hell with Seth's distrust.
"Okay, okay. I don't suspect you from anything, Dean. I just asked."
"Fine." Dean took out his phone. "I'm gonna call her."
Seth waited.
"She doesn't answer."
"Try Renee," Seth suggested.
That proved unsuccessful as well.
They kept walking, looking around, but they couldn't see anything suspicious. And they saw neither Cassie nor Renee. That didn't necessarily mean that it was too late, that Cassie had already found Renee, but time was important here. They didn't have forever.
Seth noticed Roman. He asked Dean, "You mind if more people know?"
Dean indifferently shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, whatever."
Seth called at Roman – even before Dean got to finish the short sentence.
"We got a situation here," Seth told him.
"The Shield's on it," Roman jokingly said and raised his right hand to the side of his head – as if saluting.
"Cassie's in the arena."
"Oh."
Dean said, "Seth and I think that she might want to talk to Renee."
Roman looked down, then back at them. He looked uneasy. "Yeah." He cleaned his throat. "If you wanted to prevent that from happening . . . it's a little late."
Seth almost jumped. "You know about her being here? Why didn't you stop her?" He seemed more upset and concerned than Dean. As if all of this was his problem and not Dean's.
Dean looked pretty calm right now. He was watching Roman, who was returning the serious look. "You invited her." Dean wasn't guessing; he was sure.
"Yes."