The night had already fallen when we arrived back in the motel room. Dean dropped us and he left for the restaurant Sam mentioned earlier to grab us dinner. Sam opened the door and the first thing I did once inside was crash on my bed. Sam chuckled a bit at my action. "Maybe you should get into more comfortable clothes first." he suggested. I just grunted in a very unlady like way with my head buried in my pillow. I heard him laugh softly and the sound of the bathroom door closing. He was right though, those high heels were killing me as well as my button up shirt. By the time I mustered enough courage to get up, Sam was already out of the bathroom with casual clothes on. Once I was standing upright, I grabbed clothes from my duffle bag and headed to the bathroom. As the door closed behind me, I threw the casual clothes aside and I looked at myself in the mirror. All I could see was a tired girl who wasn't strong enough to protect others, not brave enough to save people from harm's way. The vision of Aiden's body and Ethan's both flashed in my memory and at some point blended to make just one disfigured and bloodied corpse.I gripped both sides of the sink, trying to ground myself in reality. I held it so tightly that my joints became white and a bit painful. I wanted to punch the mirror, to wreck everything around me. When I felt the tears that threatened to fall again stinging my eyes, I tightly closed my eyes and tried to breathe slowly. I kept replaying what Dean said to me earlier to help me keep my emotions in check. I slowly opened the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. I washed all my makeup away and tried to process everything that happened today while in the shower. I then dried myself, got dressed and went out of the bathroom.
While we waited for Dean, Sam probably noticed that I wasn't up for talking, so he left me some space and decided to do some searches on his computer. I was on my bed trying to keep myself busy in order to distract myself from my thoughts by searching about Glen Kyle as well. About 30 minutes later, Dean finally came back. "Lady and gentle…Sasquatch, dinner is here !" He seemed pleased with his paper bags in hands, holding them as if it was a precious artifact. I guessed that he finally found a pie judging by his happy expression. Something suddenly felt different about him, but I couldn't tell what. He placed the bags on a table and slouched himself on the nearest chair. Sam soon joined him and they began to eat. Dean was about to take another bite of his burger when he noticed that I was still on my bed. "Hey, Robin. Come to eat, you didn't have anything the whole day. If you want to stay sharp, you have to eat" While he talked, a little bit of sauce fell from his food and stained his Fed shirt. "Damn!" he said when he noticed. I didn't feel like eating at all but he was right. So, I joined them and forced down a bit of food.
After dinner, Sam was pacing back and forth and talked about earlier while Dean was enjoying his pecan pie, his feet propped on the desk. Me, on the other hand, I was silent, wrapped in Dean's old flannel he gave me last year. Then Sam spoke. "So, Joe lured us out to follow him to that barn, then to the convention and throw a fake werewolf at us in order to make a diversion. Then the performer is killed and has a paycheck signed by a werewolf we killed many years ago here. This is completely insane!" Dean sipped a bit of his beer and said "Maybe it's a homonym?" Sam seemed to think. "It's possible but don't you think that coincidence is too easy? Are you sure you truly killed him, Dean?" "Of course I did! However, Madison was supposed to be cured at the moment Glen died and it didn't happen. Maybe the legend about the 'gank the werewolf' cure is true but he was stronger than we thought? What if he is the one who pulls the strings in this?" Sam was perplexed. "So you think it is his revenge for the murder attempt ?" asked Sam "Or even Madison's death?" suggested Dean. "But why?" "Sam, are you kidding me? He was completely into her." said Dean, deadpanned. Sam realized that Dean might be right and asked " Okay, you might be right. But why, after all this time?" "I don't know, Sammy. He's the twisted one, not me!" said Dean with his mouth full of pie. I didn't take part in the conversation because I didn't know enough about it, but it could make sense, at least a bit. But something was off. So I chose this moment to speak. "Okay, but what about Joe, then?" They both looked at me. "Uh, maybe they know each other and he needed an unknown face to attract us without raising suspicions?" asked Dean. "It can make sense. It's weird. But, as hunters, we evolve in a sea of weirdness everyday. We have to explore every possibility" replied Sam.
I then took Sam's computer and decided to intervene again by saying "I did some research on this Glen and apparently, he had no family. I also found a picture of him in the obituary section. He wore a t- shirt from a church. Should we check there?" I showed them the screen. The brothers looked at each other and seemed to have their "telepathic" conversation. Then Sam cleared his throat and said "I remember him wearing this t-shirt the first time we met him." "Yeah, but we don't even know which church he went to. How are we supposed to find the right one?" I just showed him the article about Glen Kyle. "It is written under his name. Apparently, he went to Hope Evangelical Free Church. We could check there, maybe ask people. The only problem is that the pastor who knew him died last month. Hopefully, some church goers knew him. " Sam seemed to think for a second, then looked at Dean and at me and nodded his head. "Okay. We'll check the church, it could be useful."
After this sentence, the conversation turned to another subject. I was still upset about the day so I put my headphones on and let my mind wander. I didn't know how much time had passed when I felt the mattress sinking under someone else's weight. When I turned my head I saw Sam next to me. Not that I was upset that it wasn't Dean, but I must admit that deep down I was a bit disappointed. I took my headphones off. "Hey. You haven't said a word in a while. I know what you are thinking about. It's tough but there's nothing you could have done to save him." said Sam, his eyes full of compassion and understanding. I could feel Dean's eyes on me, he really seemed different since he came back with our food order. I couldn't pinpoint it, but something had changed. "Sammy's right, Robin. Don't torture yourself over this. Plus, if you had followed him, you probably wouldn't be here at the moment. Don't worry, we'll catch him and make him pay. " He said while stuffing another piece of pie in his mouth, the pie I didn't eat. He then threw me a little smile with his cheeks full like an actual squirrel. It was definitely a Dean move, maybe I was just tired and my imagination was playing tricks on me. After patting my shoulder a bit, Sam got up and it was time to go to bed.
A weird noise woke me up. Dazed and still sleepy, I tried to remember where I was and grabbed my gun just in case. It took me a few seconds to remember. It was still dark outside. With my eyes half closed, I checked the clock on the nightstand. 3 AM. I turned my head to check on Dean to make sure I didn't wake him up. But he wasn't there. I jolted, fully awake and my gun in hands. I carefully made my way to the door when I stopped dead in my tracks. By the window, I could see Dean. He was under a street lamp and he seemed to be talking on the phone with someone. Probably one of the girls who gave him her number back at the convention. Sure, it stung a bit but we weren't a couple and it was none of my business. I didn't have any right to be jealous. I just sighed and got back to bed.
In the morning, I woke up feeling chilly. I slowly turned my head. Dean wasn't there, once again. There was just a note on his pillow. "Hey, sweetheart! I got up earlier to grab breakfast. Dean". I checked the clock again. 7 AM. Since when Dean Winchester gets up this early? I didn't have time to think too much when a noise made my heart jumped. The bathroom door opened suddenly, revealing a damp haired Sam. "Morning Robin." "Morning Sam" He was about to say something and then noticed my expression. "Are you okay?" I tried to organize my thoughts before replying " Did you notice anything weird about Dean?" This question seemed to take him off guard. He raised his eyebrows before saying "Uh, where do I begin? I mean, I'm used to his antics and barely notice them by now but…" "I mean since yesterday when he came back with food. Didn't you notice that something was off?" I took the note and gave it to him. "You know your brother. Since when does he get up this early?" He seemed to think for a moment. "Hm, he was still next to you when I went for my jog. I saw the note when I came back. I'm sure he just wanted to grab pie for breakfast. Don't worry, he has his moments but everything will be back to normal soon." How come I was the only one who felt something weird?! "Sam, I'm telling you that something is not right about Dean." He chuckled. " You finally realized! About time!" I was exasperated by now. "Sam! I'm serious." His smile slowly vanished when he took notice of my expression. He closed his eyes, sighed and threw a hand in his hair before saying "Okay. I must admit that something seems a bit off. But, Dean is really secretive when it comes to his feelings so maybe it is his way to cope with the stress of our case. But I promise you that I will keep my eyes open and" He was interrupted by the door bursting open. Just like yesterday, Dean made his entrance with food in hands. "Good morning everyone!" He said in a cheery tone. Sam and I exchanged a look.
The first stop of the day was then the Hope Evangelical Free Church. As we entered, I couldn't help but be surprised by the calm that reigned in there. It was right after the worship service. But, except for the few people near the altar or on the benches, it was almost empty. Most people here looked very young, maybe too young to have known Glen. But we couldn't surrender that easily. There was probably at least one person who knew him. As we gazed at everyone in hope of finding someone old enough, I began to think about the kind of lie we could tell to gain information. Maybe distant relatives? Reporters? Priests and nun? I glanced at Dean and Sam. They seemed very concentrated, their eyes scanning the whole room. I was sure that they would come with a good lie, as always. Dean suddenly tapped on my shoulder to catch my attention. When I turned my head to look at him, he said while pointing a finger toward an old woman "I think that this little old lady in the back looks pretty gossipy. I'm sure she knows Glen." He then got closer to my ear and whispered "And maybe even Jesus himself, given her age." It caught me off guard. I struggled to muffle my laugh. Even though Dean kept joking with me, it felt different. As if a certain distance grew between us, like two boats slowly drifting apart from each other. Sam elbowed him in the ribcage and threw him a warning look.
When we approached her, Dean prepared his charming smile but apparently, all her attention seemed to be on Sam. Indeed, she threw him a seductive glance more than once from afar. "Good morning, kids. What can I do for you?" She was mainly looking at Sam, making Dean and I laugh a little. " Good morning, miss. Do you remember a certain Glen Kyle? He was our cousin and he used to come here when he was alive." said Dean. She seemed to think a little, then said " I think I remember him. A very nice young man but not very talkative. He never took part in any of the church's activities but he was here every Sunday. He was friends with Zeke, another charming young man." We all exchanged a look. "Do you know where we can find that Zeke?" I asked. She sighed and said "Since Glen's death, he practically disappeared. He was so sad, it broke my heart. Nobody heard of him since then." She glanced at something behind us and said "I'm sorry to go like that but my friends are waiting for me. It's crochet afternoon today. I'm sorry to not be able to help more. I hope you'll find the information you need." Before she walked away, she smacked Sam's ass and said "I hope to see you next Sunday, handsome." and she waddled toward her friends. Sam's face was completely red. Dean and I couldn't help but truly laugh this time, earning disapproving looks around us.
When we were finally outside, I asked the question that burned my lips."You guys heard of that Zeke when you went here for Glen the last time?" Dean and Sam looked at each other, probably asking each other telepathically as always. They then both shook their heads. "So we need to look for him. He must know something if they were friends." I said, hopeful. "But we don't even know if it is relevant. She said it herself, he disappeared after his death."said Sam. "Even if he never came back to the church, it doesn't mean he's not around anymore." argued Dean. Sam seemed exasperated "Fine! And while we chase a ghost, Joe has all the time in the world to commit more crimes." He was almost angry. "Sam, I know it's frustrating. But you said it yourself, last night. We have to explore every possibility." I said, trying to appease him a bit. He threw me a glance and breathed through his nose."Robin's right, Sammy. He may have important information. I guess we have another person to look for. " said Dean.