Dean cut the engine, taking a look around the barren motel parking lot. "Gee, I wonder if they'll have a room left."

Cas' brow furrowed. "There appears to be no one else here, it is unlikely they are full."

Both Deans rolled their eyes before reaching for their handle and piling out.

The older Dean tossed his keys to Cas. "You two grab our crap, I'll snag a room."

Cas walked around to the back, opening up the trunk.

Young Dean watched Cas sling everyone's bags onto his arms. He was vaguely amused watching a literal angel just hauling luggage for them. Then again, he was still a little awed by the fact that a literal angel was on a hunt with them.

Not much surprised him anymore. Twelve years of being in the life, he'd seen some crazy stuff. The bar was kind of high to start.

Still. Angels were firmly in the myth column until yesterday.

Then again, so were vampires.

As soon as the older Dean caught up with the keys to the door, he took his bag back from Cas for the sole purpose of tossing it down on the bed closest to the door before his younger self could.

Young Dean frowned, not sure how he felt about that, but unwilling to unpack that right now.

"Too late for the morgue. We'll grab a bite and pack it in for the night." Dean said simply, digging into his bag and taking out his gun, checking it before tucking it out of sight.

Young Dean threw his bag on the bed closest to the cramped motel bathroom. He glanced up at Cas, almost asking where Cas was going to sleep before remembering that Cas didn't. He hesitated, wondering if Cas just sat there all night, or if he left.

"Saw a diner on the way into town." Dean frowned. "Pretty much the only thing in town, but it'll do."

"Good, I'm starving." Young Dean shrugged on his new jacket, which Dean noted was a size too big. So close.

"Let's go then."

.

Young Dean scanned the menu carefully.

"Get whatever you actually want." Dean said without looking up, browsing his burger options. Not whatever's cheapest.

Young Dean paused, glancing across the booth. "So money obviously isn't an issue anymore."

"Hacker friend. We're set."

His eyes widened for a second before he smirked. "Nice."

Dean put down the menu as the waitress walked over. "Double cheeseburger, everything on it, medium rare."

Young Dean put down his menu, frowning. "Uh, yeah, me too."

She looked expectantly at Cas and he hesitated. "A Reuben."

"Fries good?"

"Yes."

"You got it."

As soon as they were alone again, young Dean re-positioned to lean against the windowsill, stretching his legs across the bench seat. "So what, morgue first thing in the morning?"

"You got a plan for how you're gonna be let in?"

"High School internship."

"With the FBI?" Dean asked, expression flat.

"Yes."

Dean stared at him for a moment before giving a careless shrug. "Yeah, sure." They could sell it.

Young Dean nodded in satisfaction.

"Jody didn't have a whole bunch to go on, but it definitely sounds like wolf trouble." Dean pulled out his phone, opening the email.

Young Dean watched the screen come to life. "You can get the email on that too?"

Dean looked up, confused for a second before he caught on, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "Yeah. Welcome to the future."

"Woah." Young Dean breathed. "No more payphones. Or pagers."

"Nope." Dean slid the phone across to his younger self. "Phone, computer, camera. All in one."

"Awesome." He scrolled through the pages of apps, not quite sure what he was looking at, but just the touch screen was crazy all on its own.

"Wanna video chat with your brothers?" Dean enjoyed the look of awe on his younger self's face. "Maybe later." He dismissed, taking it back and returning to the email. "Anyway, the email mentions a couple out of place animal attacks, hearts missing on all of them."

"How many victims?"

"Three in the area, but Jody has seen a similar pattern cropping up every hundred miles or so over the last few months."

"You're thinking more than one?"

"Yeah."

"A pack?" Young Dean asked. "I haven't seen a pack in years."

"More common these days."

The younger hunter frowned. "Yeah?"

Cas scanned the email as Dean handed him the phone. "During the apocalypse many monsters banded together out of fear." He said absently.

"Great." Young Dean muttered.

Dean sighed. "Yeah. And with Alphas it's even easier for them to find one another."

"Guessing you're used to hunting packs by now."

"Yep, pretty much." Dean dismissed, taking his phone back and shoving it in his pocket. "Find where they're holed up, introduce them to some silver, easy." He stared himself up and down critically. "Well, would be. Now I gotta keep you alive too. Can you even shoot a gun?" He ribbed.

Young Dean glared at him. "You know when you insult me you're only insulting yourself."

"Yes," Dean said, raising his finger. "But that, I'm already well familiar with." He finished with a slight laugh.

Young Dean rolled his eyes again. "Glad we never got cynical in our old age."

"Shuddup."

Young Dean bit his tongue on a smile, pulling back as food arrived and a plate was slid in front of him.

Silence took the table as both Deans dug into their food.

Dean polished off his burger, taking only a moment to lick his fingers before he reached across and slid Cas' plate over to him.

Young Dean watched the exchange, casual enough it was clear this was a usual occurrence.

Dean froze, sandwich in mouth when he looked up, finding Cas staring at him.

Cas looked down at the plate and then back at him with intent.

Dean followed his gaze before his posture fell, eyes hardening. It was all he could do to keep from rolling his eyes. "Fine." He said out loud, annoyed. He pulled half the fries onto his plate, sliding the other half of the food in front of his younger self.

Young Dean jumped at the opportunity, finishing the last bites of his own burger before following suit. He talked with his mouth full. "So what, you don't eat either?"

"I do not." Cas replied.

"You ever do just for fun? Like maybe you don't need it, but for the taste?"

"I find difficulty tasting most foods." Cas admitted.

"Geez." Young Dean said, shaking his head. "That sucks."

Cas gave a gentle smile and bowed his head slightly in agreement.

Dean leaned back, crumpling his napkin and tossing it on his empty plate. "A tragedy for the ages." He said dismissively, despite having similar thoughts. "Anyway, I'm gonna ring us out."

Young Dean shoved his plate away. "Let's bounce."

.

Dean made eye contact with Cas in the rear view mirror as they pulled up in front of the motel. "You two hop out, I've got a few errands to run."

Young Dean looked up, hand on the door handle. "What?"

"I'll be back in a few hours."

"We can come." Young Dean tried to settle back in his seat.

"I've given Cas permission to tell you how we met. If you want to know, you're going to get out of this car right now."

Young Dean froze. "You-"

"Your choice."

Cas gave one last nod to Dean before he slipped out of the car.

Young Dean watched him go before turning back and trying to get a read on himself. He didn't like anything reflected in his expression. Without saying anything, he grabbed the handle and slid out, closing the door behind him and watching the black muscle car pull away.

He glanced up at Cas, feeling his pulse start to climb. Suddenly in the face of knowing he wavered on if he wanted to know after all. He couldn't read the angel's expression either. "Where…. Uh, do you want to go inside?"

"If you would like."

Young Dean tried to school his expression with limited success, "Sure… yeah, let's do it."

.

Young Dean tried to make it seem like he wasn't stalling. But there was only so long you could stay in the bathroom before it became obvious what you were doing.

Though Dean guessed that Cas probably knew what he was doing anyway.

Cas seemed to know all his shit.

That's weird too.

Wash hands, that can take a minute. Take off his jacket, good, good. He sat to start to untie his boots and then irrationally felt too vulnerable. He switched gears to re-tying the laces, trying to play it off as the plan all along. Jacket can get picked up, brought over to the chair. Right.

He wanted to pace but he was determined to push through it. He finally forced himself to lean back against the table, crossing his arms and carefully posing himself to look casual but unable to completely mask the tension in his body. "So… what is so bad he knows I'd take it better from you?"

Cas frowned, trying to decide how best to answer. "It is not so simple." He started, evasively.

"Break it down for me then."

"He did not believe you would listen to important context from yourself."

"Forget context. What did you save me from?"

Cas didn't think it would do any good to try to soften the blow. He sighed. "Hell."

It was so much worse than he thought.

The room crashed into oppressive silence, and Dean's breath caught in his throat.

Hell.

The word cracked through his chest, and he felt his body erupt into a tingling numbness. He almost choked on the bitter taste in the back of his throat. The silence slowly gave way to a ringing in his ears, punctuated only by the loud swish of his heart.

Hell.

His eyes unfocused and he felt the blood rush from his face, leaving him feeling a little faint.

"Dean…"

"Yeah." He said, voice shaky.

"It is important not to leave it there."

"I…"

Cas rose to his feet, concern growing as he watched the progression of expressions the young hunter wore.

"When I died, I went to hell." Dean said slowly. "I'm going to hell."

"Dean-"

"What did I do?" Dean snapped, feeling his ears flash white hot. "What was it, huh?" He was struggling to breathe now, feeling the walls closing in on them. He wished he hadn't said they should do this inside, he felt absolutely cornered.

"You didn't do anything-"

"Bullshit!" Dean's hands clenched, digging into the muscle of his biceps. "Don't fuck with me! You can't tell me I went to hell and not-"

"You saved your brother." Cas interjected.

Dean froze. "What?"

"Sam died." Cas said softly, trying to be gentle. "You traded your soul to a demon to save him."

He felt himself slip somewhat outside himself, trying to slow down his racing thoughts enough to process what he'd just been told. "I…"

"I retrieved you."

"You…" He blinked when suddenly Cas was right in front of him, and he was surprised to find he being guided onto the chair. "What…"

Cas put a water bottle in his hand before taking a step back to give him space.

Dean blinked a few times, trying to reconcile the change.

"Are you able to listen?" Cas asked.

"Yeah." Dean said, numbly.

"We did not know it at the time, but Demons and Archangels had been accelerating cosmic prophecy for decades, if not longer." He looked sympathetic. "You were caught in the storm."

"Why did… uh, why did you rescue me?"

"The angels required you to complete their plans. My garrison was chosen to lead the offensive on hell and I was the one to reach you."

"Oh." Dean breathed, feeling an inexplicable punch to the gut hearing that Cas just fetched him because he was told.

"I would never have guessed you'd save me."

Dean's head snapped up. "What?"

"You broke me from heaven's grasp… more than once. You prevented the biblical apocalypse. I have learned much from you these past years… not least of which what it means to have a family."

"Oh." Dean said again, not able to come up with anything else to say. He jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder and was quickly withdrawn.

"Going to hell was not your fault." Cas said firmly. "And you did not deserve it."

Dean forced himself to nod. "Sure." He said weakly.

"You didn't." Cas settled down into one of the chairs again, giving Dean some more space. "You sacrificed yourself for love." You do everything for love.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "How… uh, how long was I-" He couldn't quite get the words out, and he wasn't reassured by the clear hesitation Cas showed to answer. "Just tell me."

"On earth it was four months."

Dean swallowed. "And in hell?"

"Not all of hell moves at the same speed."

"How. Long."

"Forty years."

The ringing was back, somehow louder than before. His pulse echoed in his ears, trying to compete, seemingly pumping air out of the room with each beat. Panic seized him. He struggled to throw the hands that grabbed him off, unsuccessful as he was pulled to his feet.

Dean's vision blacked out completely, or maybe his eyes closed, he couldn't tell. He wasn't sure if he was walking or being carried, but he was certain he was being moved. As soon as he could acknowledge his feet on the ground, his knees collapsed and he found himself being sick. His hands closed around something, it didn't feel like carpet but it was hard to tell through the tingling in his fingers and darkness in his vision. He was pretty sure he was being hauled up again.

It felt like an eternity before finally the numbness in his extremities began to recede. Other sensations like cold and wet began to filter through.

Finally he managed to catch a glimpse of his surroundings, blinking though the harsh glare of the streetlights. He was on a bench in what seemed to be a little garden, a couple outdoor ashtrays making it clear what it was for. Looking behind him, he could see the motel, not too far in the distance.

Cas was on a separate bench across from him, concern written across his face mixing with uncertainty, clearly unsure what he should be doing.

Dean looked up, watching the rain filter through the light. By now it was soaking through his clothes, running down his face, and splashing off him with each ragged breath.

Cas didn't say anything, just keeping an eye on him.

Dean sputtered in the water before coughing and at last managing a deeper breath. His head was still rushing and swaying with the effects of adrenaline but he was finally starting to be able to hear. The sound of the rain on the pavement was a constant, helping to drown out the sound of his heart. It was surprisingly soothing.

He reached out, running his hand along the glossy cracked paint, each point sending a spark of electricity through his deadened fingers. He closed his eyes, finally managing to settle back inside his body.

He rolled his head back, letting the rain hit him directly in the face. "Sorry." He rasped.

"There is no need to apologize."

"You're soaked, man."

"I do not feel the cold."

"Okay." Dean let a little more of the tension go knowing there was no rush to get back inside.

Cas looked away, giving Dean a small reprieve from direct scrutiny.

"Do I remember it all?" He failed to get his voice above a whisper.

"Yes."

"He… I…" Dean didn't know what to ask. "Is he-"

"The memories of hell have softened over the years."

"When-" He coughed. "Uh when did-" He still couldn't get the words out.

"After your 29th birthday."

He was going to hell in thirteen years.

The static threatened to creep back in.

As old as this Dean was, he had still lived longer in hell than on earth.

He was going to hell in thirteen years.

"Dean-" Cas' voice was painfully sincere.

Three decades from now he would still be in hell. Four decades. Five.

"You get out." Cas said, his voice a rock he could anchor himself with.

Cas gets him out. Cas rescues him and they save the world. And Sam is alive. Sam is alive.

"You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"You mean he is."

"He is you." Cas reminded him. "You come out on the other end of it."

"Right." Yes. He… was okay. He ends up okay. This is okay.

Cas relaxed slightly as Dean's breathing leveled out, however slowly. He watched Dean's body steadily start to relax enough to shiver.

Dean cleared his throat again. "Sam…" His voice was still shaky. "Does, uh, Sam know what happened? Like he knows…" He took a breath. "He knows I went to hell, obviously… but he… does he… how much does he know?"

"He does not know much. You chose not to tell him."

Dean closed his eyes again, feeling another notch of tension release. "Good."

When Cas first watched Dean, he had thought Dean kept those memories from Sam out of shame. That may be true of his final years, but not the rest. It was the same reason he never talked to Dean about anything Naomi did to him.

To spare him the guilt.

Even thirteen years before it happened, Dean was taking comfort that he spared his brother that.

"But you know."

Cas looked at him. "Yes."

"Everything?"

Cas bowed his head. "Yes."

"And you're still here."

"Of course."

Dean frowned. Cas was here. An angel rescued him from hell and rebelled against heaven and is still there. After seeing everything. Whatever everything looked like.

"What… uh, what do they… did they-"

"I am unwilling to disclose those details." Cas said softly. "They will be of no benefit to either of you."

"I-"

"I am not willing to compromise on this."

Dean shut his mouth. He wasn't sure why he had such a strong desire to know. Cas wasn't wrong, it wouldn't do anything for him. But he still felt that tug. "It was after Dad died." He muttered, thinking back to get his timeline right. "Dad didn't know I went to hell."

"He did not." Cas confirmed.

"Good."

That was shame.

If Cas had to guess, His Dean had not said anything of hell to Mary.

Dean sucked in another breath, trying to gather himself. "Can we uh…. Can we stay out here for a bit?"

"We can stay for as long as you'd like."

"Okay."

.

When the adrenaline finally completely left his body, Young Dean crashed hard. He had to drag himself through a hot shower, chasing away the chill that came with the rain. He flopped down on the bed, sparing one last glance at Cas sitting at the table before he let his head fall back onto the pillow.

Cas waited for his breathing to even out, giving it a few minutes before texting the all clear to Dean.

He stepped outside when he heard the familiar rumble of the impala's engine, careful to close the door quietly to avoid waking young Dean.

Dean dropped the keys in his pocket, hurrying his steps to get under the overhang and out of the rain. "How'd he take it?"

"He is asleep."

"And before he was asleep?"

"He was distressed, but worked through it."

Dean gave him an incredulous stare at 'distressed'. "I'm guessing you should have used a stronger word."

"Perhaps." Cas relented with a shrug.

"What'd you cover?"

"The reason you went. Rescue. Duration." He tried to keep the list concise. "I did not tell him details."

"Nothing about the last ten years?"

"No."

"Good." Dean hesitated. "Thanks." He stared at the door. "Kid hasn't even been alive half as long as I was there. It's gonna fuck with his head." He shook his head. "Probably won't see it though. Has a million things rattling around in his head right now. He's got the lid on tight."

"I never realized you started doing that so young." He was no stranger to Dean concealing his emotions, but he was saddened to discover how long he had been doing it.

Dean blinked, turning back to look at Cas. "Yeah." He said weakly, failing to find an easy quip to deflect with.

"He was more worried about what Sam knew."

"Of course he was. Did you tell him he doesn't know much?"

Cas bowed his head in a nod. "Yes. He was relieved."

"Good." Dean muttered. "He get to sleep on his own, or did you put him down?"

"He fell asleep naturally. He was exhausted after…" Cas gestured.

"Yeah. Sounds about right."

"You should get some sleep as well." Cas pointed out, knowing Dean hadn't even attempted to sleep yesterday.

"Yeah." Dean said, straightening up. He slapped Cas on the shoulder. "Probably right." He stopped with his hand on the door handle, looking back at Cas. "Thanks… for being the one to tell him." And for being here.

"Of course."

Dean headed inside.

.

The dream was familiar.

Two months ago Dad had dumped them at this motel with instructions to be ready to back him up. He'd be back in three weeks.

Dad called week three. "It'll be another couple weeks."

"If we have to pay for the room, we're gonna run out of food money."

"Dean, you're a grown man. Can you figure it out, or what?"

Dean groaned, closing his eyes.

"Dean, I asked you a question."

"Yes sir. I got it."

"I'll be back before you know it. Go mow lawns or something."

Dean hoped this was one of those times that was true. He didn't think he was going to pay off another few weeks at the motel mowing lawns.

Usually Dean tried to have more of a cushion. The last string of towns were less than ideal. The best towns were off the highway. Truck stops were king for some spare cash. With no faces around for more than a few hours, he was anonymous.

No highway and one bar. Why did it seem like almost every town had no highway and one bar? There weren't a lot of places you could position yourself good enough to catch but not so obvious you got caught.

Getting picked up at a bar was risky enough, but coming back? Too obviously young to be there attracts attention on its own. He was risking a misdemeanor, but anyone who took him up on it was facing a felony. He wasn't likely to get two takers, so the first one had to count.

Dean resigned himself to that.

At a truck stop it was on his terms. What he wanted went, he could afford to cut the encounter off. There weren't a lot of situations Dean couldn't get himself out of. Years of hunting left him more than capable of winning a fight.

In this town the first one had to pay the bills. Rules are looser. At a motel room. No bruises anywhere visible. In his experience, more likely to be an issue if he's picked up by a guy.

Fortunately with bars the clientele is more often women.

Unfortunately, men pay more.

He saw the guy's werewolf patch before he made proper eye contact.

"Well aren't you a pretty thing?"

"You're damn right." Dean grinned.

"You gettin' out of here?"

"Yeah. You heading my way?"

.

Young Dean felt like he was drowning. He immediately clamped down on his breathing as he was plunged into consciousness, tensing to stop himself from leaping to his feet. He startled, looking up with wild eyes, finally recognizing Cas standing at his bedside, arm still outstretched.

He realized Cas had been the one to brush his arm and wake him from that nightmare.

"I apologize. You were dreaming."

Young Dean let out his breath, trying not to sound strangled when he weakly replied "Yeah… thanks."

Cas bowed his head for a second before returning to his chair across the room.

Young Dean dragged himself upright, quickly taking inventory of the entire room, using the visuals to ground himself here and now. No clients. No Sammy. No empty cupboards or angry managers. Just a case, and a fucked up timeline, and an angel who was graciously not staring at him while he caught his breath.

He looked over at his older self, noting that he had not woken at the noise.

Unexpected. He was usually a light sleeper, and he couldn't imagine a few decades more of hunting would change that. He only slept that soundly at Bobby's… because he felt safe enough. He risked a glance at Cas, frowning. Yeah, fine. Having an unsleeping angel watching your back is probably pretty much as safe as it gets outside the bunker.

Young Dean felt his face flush as he thought of Bobby, an unwelcome warmth building behind his eyes. He clenched down until it passed.

Finally his chest relaxed and he managed to take a deeper breath and then another. He shoved back the covers, trying not to jump to his feet as he eagerly left the bed behind.

He had to steady himself slightly against a wave of vertigo. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but it wasn't long enough to completely counteract the fatigue from earlier.

Cas looked up when young Dean settled into the chair across the small table.

Young Dean cleared his throat, trying to make sure his voice wouldn't crack before he spoke. "Thanks." He repeated, careful to keep his voice soft.

"Of course."

Dean was quiet for a moment, organizing his thoughts as memories hit him one after another, sparked by the dream and fanning to a flame with the knowledge of everything they had lost… everything he had yet to lose. Hell aside, everyone that they loved was dead.

Young Dean didn't want to be alone with these thoughts. "You knew Bobby?"

Cas bowed his head. "Yes. He became something of a mentor to me in my early years on Earth."

"He… uh, Bobby, did he know I went…" Young Dean swallowed. "to hell?"

"Yes."

Young Dean closed his eyes, not sure that was going to be enough to stop any tears that might escape. "And he-"

"He was aware of the circumstances." Cas said gently. "He did not love you any less."

Young Dean's eyes snapped open, widening when he heard what Cas said. "I-"

Cas was looking out the window, a faint smile on his face. "He would have been very amused by this."

Dean watched Cas for a moment before relaxing and nodding. "He'd be up to his ears in books by now."

"I imagine we'd sort this out much quicker with his help."

"He was good at that." Dean replied. He looked back at his older self, sleeping soundly across the room. "So what, you just sit there and watch them sleep?"

Cas indicated the book on the table. "I usually read. You made it clear early on that outside of survival situations it is…" He thought for a moment to recall the wording. "creepy to simply watch you both sleep."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Dean laughed a bit. "Survival situations?"

"There have been times where keeping guard was a necessity for sleep, and I am uniquely suited to that."

"What kind of situations are we talking?" He frowned, noting the quiet distress working into Cas' expression. "Oh come on, you said I went to hell, please tell me it's not something worse."

"It isn't." Cas said, putting his mind at ease with the speed and sincerity of his response. "We spent some time in purgatory."

"In…" Dean frowned, eyebrows raising. "Purgatory? Really? Hell, sure, heaven, I guess, but freaking purgatory?" He crossed his arms. "And how did we end up there?"

"We misjudged the consequences of killing a monster."

Dean thought back to something Sam said. "Was it… was it the Leviathan that killed Bobby?"

"Yes."

"Did Sam-?"

"Sam was not sent with us."

Dean took a small breath, feeling the relief keenly. "How long was that?"

"It took us a year to find our way out." Cas repressed a physical flinch as he recalled the half truth in that. It had taken him a long time to properly realize how selfish his decision to stay was. He had punished Dean far more than himself, and left himself vulnerable to heaven's control. It nearly cost Dean his life, and put himself on the direct path to cause the angels to fall.

He could do nothing to fix it now but avoid repeating those same mistakes.

"What's in purgatory?"

"Every monster who has ever been killed on earth."

"Oh that sounds fun." He said sarcastically.

Cas bowed his head. "Beyond that, I try not to watch you sleep."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You know, just sitting around waiting counts as watching, even if you're not looking at them."

Cas frowned.

"Nevermind. I clearly don't give that much of a crap." He said, indicating himself sleeping across the room.

"No, I suppose you do not anymore."

Dean was quiet for a moment while he studied Cas. "Sam said that we are between apocalypses."

"Yes, we appear to be."

"What was the last apocalypse?" he asked, warily.

"A darkness that predated creation."

Dean choked a bit. "And we stopped that?"

"We did." Cas tilted his head slightly. "I believe in this case it would be more accurate to say you did."

Dean looked up at him, catching the sincere… something in his eyes. He wanted to press, ask for details, but at the same time he really wasn't sure he wanted them. "Oh."

"It has been relatively quiet since then."

"Dude, by all accounts including yours, you almost bit it like two weeks ago."

Cas bit back another sigh. "An anomaly."

"Some anomaly." Young Dean said, shaking his head. He snapped his head up, aware of the change of breathing across the room.

Subtle, but distinct.

Young Dean felt a weight settle into his chest as he watched real life proof some things don't improve. Not that he had actually expected the nightmare to end.

Cas didn't say anything, instead glancing at the bedside clock before standing and walking towards the bed. He hesitated a moment before reaching out and touching Dean's arm, easily stepping back out of swinging range as Dean tried to defend himself.

"Cas?"

"I thought you wanted to get an early start to the day." He lied.

Dean took a moment to get his breathing under control, the violent imagery slow to fade from his mind. He scrubbed a hand over his face, dragging himself upright, quickly schooling his expression into one of regular displeasure. "Yeah."

Young Dean didn't say anything, feeling his face get hot watching Cas rescue him from his worst nightmares not once but twice today. Cas was attuned to them, and more than that, cared.

He wondered what he dreamed about now. He thought he had it bad, and he had yet to add the death of everyone he loved into the mix. Yet to see Sam die. Yet to go to hell. He could only imagine what those dreams could consist of now.

He wondered if it was every night or just some. It didn't bode well that yesterday night he didn't sleep at all.

Dean looked around the room before he pulled his bag up onto his bed. "I'm calling first shower." He said, voice still rough with sleep.

"You better leave me some hot water." Young Dean protested.

"We'll see."

.

Young Dean rejoined the pair after a regretfully lukewarm shower, dressed and ready for the day. Five was earlier than he wanted to be up and about, but it wasn't like he was going to have slept anyway. "Where were you thinking of breakfast?"

"Well, there's only one diner in town, so I feel like that makes it kind of easy to choose." Dean said flatly.

"Right." Younger Dean said. One Diner. No highway. One bar. No, not relevant. Not important.

"Alright, after, we'll head over to the-" He cut off as he heard the knock on the door. He froze, looking down at his watch before making pointed eye contact with Cas.

Another impatient knock. "Hey Winchester, open up."

Dean's eyes widened and he crossed the room, pulling the door handle open to come face to face with Jody. "What-"

Claire poked her head around the door frame before pushing past them both. "Catch a wolf yet?"

"I…"

"Hey Cas." She greeted. She stopped. "What's up with the kid?" Claire asked, turning and leveling all her attention on young Dean.

Young Dean widened his eyes. "Uh…"

Dean interrupted again. "What are you two doing here!?"

Claire turned back to Dean. "Fighting werewolves. What do you think we're doing?"

Dean floundered slightly. "You gave us the case."

Jody tossed her bag over the back of one of the flimsy motel chairs. "Our case went better than expected. Figured we'd come lend you a hand. You're welcome, by the way."

"We could handle it!"

Claire smirked. "Because you have the world's youngest detective watching your back?"

"Hey." Young Dean protested.

"And an angel." Dean countered before getting flustered by the fact he was entertaining her questions at all. "Seriously guys-"

Jody lifted a hand to silence him. "We've been on the road all day. There is literally nothing you could say that would get us to leave right now."

Dean deflated, sinking down against the table. "Fine."

Claire beamed a smile and was met with Dean rolling his eyes.

"We brought a peace offering." Jody tossed her keys over to Dean. "Do me a favor, go grab the bags. Good thing we got extra." She said, nodding towards young Dean.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, alright." He relented, sparing one last distressed glance at Cas before heading out of the room.

Jody smiled, looking the angel over. "Cas. Nice to put a face to the name." She said. "I've heard all about you."

Claire bowed her head, cheeks flushing. "Stop."

Jody turned to young Dean just as food came into the room. "So. Time to spill." Jody gave a genuine warm smile, extending a hand to young Dean.

"I-" Young Dean looked up at his older self, hoping for a bit of guidance.

"We're in the middle of a case ourselves." Dean said, making a decision.

"Do tell."

Young Dean shook Jody's hand. "I'm Dean."

Jody blinked for a second, furrowing her brow. "You're…" She looked from him up at the older Dean and the realization hit. Her eyes widened. "Huh." She said, leaning back, mouth slightly agape.

"What… like you when you were a kid?" Claire asked, critically looking this younger Dean up and down. "How old were you, twelve?"

"Shut up." Young Dean objected, only to get smacked on the back of the head.

"Behave." Dean admonished. He sighed. "We met a witch. Everything else is getting worked out."

Jody looked shocked. "That's it?"

"That's literally all we have."

Claire walked up, taking the bag from Dean and digging in, grabbing her take-out container, hopping up on Dean's bed without permission, earning a glare that she ignored completely.

Jody looked around, noting the obvious bags. "That why Sam isn't here?"

"Yeah, he stayed behind with his own mini to try and figure out how to crack time travel." He did his best to ignore the widening smile when Jody heard that there was a tiny Sam to match.

Jody crossed her arms. "Too bad we can't hold a stake to Chronos and-"

"You know about Chronos?" Cas said.

Jody froze, taking in the expression before shaking her head. "Nope. No idea."

Cas narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

Young Dean cleared his throat. "Anyway. We got a case to work, right?"

Claire grinned. "Yeah, junior. Let's talk shop."

Jody caught Dean's eye, giving him a pointed look. "You got a sec? I could use a hand hauling books into our room."

Dean hesitated. "Yeah, sure." He said at last, getting up and tossing on his jacket before following her into the brisk morning air. He didn't say anything when they walked to the back and leaned against the rear bumper of her truck.

"So. Time travel."

Dean gave a weak laugh. "Yeah. Been kind of a crazy couple days."

"I'll bet." She said, voice softening. "How are you doing with all this?" She asked sincerely.

"Me? I'm doing fine." Dean said, trying to force his voice to sound relaxed. "Just got to get this sorted, you know how it is."

"And you brought him with you? Right in the middle of your case to get him… them home?"

"He couldn't leave this hunt alone. I couldn't leave the hunt alone."

Jody looked up at him. "That kid in there. How long has he been hunting?"

"Eight years."

"Shit." Jody breathed.

Dean readjusted, sitting higher up against the truck. "Figured some time outside home base was good for the soul."

She was quiet for a minute. "Does your mother know about them? Do they know about her?"

"No." Dean shook his head, looking out across the parking lot. "We figured it was best to avoid that."

"How is your mother?"

Dean's breath caught in his throat, and he felt the tension ratchet up in his chest. "She, uh…"

Jody frowned, heart sinking slightly. She remembered how strained they seemed last time they met. "What happened?" She asked gently.

"You were right." Dean said, clearing his throat. "What you said at the funeral. About what if she changed, or… that it wasn't going to work out the way I wanted."

"That it might not work out." She stressed.

"Well it didn't. She's uh… she lied to us to get a case done. Got a hunter killed, uh, almost got Cas killed."

Jody closed her eyes. "Dean." She said softly.

"She's gone… I told her to go." He let himself fully face the weariness he felt about it, allowing himself a moment to be vulnerable. "She's been gone about two weeks."

"I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well…"

"Cas is doing alright now?"

"Yeah. We uh…" He stopped, realizing that Jody knew Crowley, and under the worst possible circumstances. "We managed to sort it out. He could heal up after that. But it was close."

"How close we talking?"

"Seconds." Dean admitted. "A minute at most, it was-" Dean cut off.

Jody bumped her shoulder into his arm. "He's doing good now." She reminded him.

"Yeah." Dean agreed again softly.

"That offer is still there. I'm happy to be a listening ear."

"Yeah." He sighed. "You know what thought kept just playing over and over in my head? I just kept thinking about if… if it had… what it would have been like to call Claire. For days I couldn't get it out of my head."

Jody nodded, knowingly. She could only imagine what it would be like for Claire after. "He's doing good now."

"Yeah, he is." Dean flashed a weak smile. "Thanks, Jody." He said sincerely. He looked up as a car pulled into the parking lot, frowning as it pulled into the spot right between Jody's truck and the impala. He stood up straight, watching the driver get out.

"Well look who it is!"

"Garth?"