Two updates in as many days? I must be in a super good mood over my book coming out or something :P

"Well, this is your stop."

Dean and River had managed to make their way all the way back to the phone booth where Dean had been about to call up his brother. According to River, only about half an hour had passed since they'd left, so she'd been true to her word.

This was the one part of time travel that Dean didn't think he'd ever get used to: getting right back into the swing of everyday life as if nothing had changed and he hadn't just spent an amazing night out drinking and spending the night with a gorgeous girl. Maybe it was different for the people who actually traveled with the Doctor, since they didn't have to go back to their "usual" lives. But it definitely took some getting used to.

Dean looked around the place as he tried to get back some of that same urgency he'd had when he first arrived. Yes, he was still concerned about Sam and whatever his baby brother had done to get him out of Hell, but on the other hand, now that he'd had a little distance and time to think about it, he was starting to think he had things figured out.

See, River had reminded him of the other part of his hunting life, the part connected to the Doctor and all the people in the guy's orbit. And he knew that there were people he hadn't met yet that had recognized him and his brother. Amy and Rory, for example. He'd met them while River was around, and that reminder was grounding. Amy had seemed perfectly comfortable with Sam.

Which meant, Dean reasoned, that Sam wasn't going to get himself killed. Or, at least, that he wasn't going to stay dead. So whatever convoluted scheme Sam had slapped together to get Dean back, it wasn't permanent. Dean could undo it, and then his brother could go on to meet those people that they'd already met—but in the right order for the time travelers.

On the other hand, Dean had also had time to think about the implications for himself, and he was starting to get resigned to it. He remembered meeting another companion, Clara, who had taken a long time to warm up to him. She'd been scared of him.

Considering what Dean remembered of his time in Hell, he was starting to get a pretty good idea of what had scared her.

It made even more sense when he considered that River seemed to be going out of her way to make sure he'd enjoyed himself. She wouldn't tell him what was in store, but, well, if she knew that Dean was going to turn back into the monster he'd been in Hell, if she knew that he was going to undo whatever Sam did and turn into the thing that scared Clara, maybe one night of being a person in a new body was her way of helping him prepare for it.

And so, with all that running through his head, "thanks" didn't seem to cover what he wanted to say to River, but that's what he said all the same.

"Oh, anytime," River said breezily. "It's purely selfish, you know. I always know I can have a good time with you."

Despite himself, Dean broke into a grin. "Feeling's entirely mutual."

River smiled at that and kissed his cheek, but before she could say anything else, both of them paused in their conversation when they heard the familiar whirring noise of the TARDIS nearby. Sharing a glance, they broke into a run to see if they could catch the arrival of their favorite time traveler—but instead, they only caught a glimpse of the blue box as it faded into the air.

River swore under her breath and then started to laugh as she turned toward Dean, shaking her head at the situation. "I love him, but he has such terrible timing sometimes, doesn't he?"

Dean couldn't stop his smile, especially considering how closely River was draped over his shoulder. "You'd think he'd be better at that, considering he's a time traveler."

"Oh, he'd like you to think that," River said, still obviously enjoying herself and laughing. She held up a finger to tell him to stay where he was and then dug into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper. "I need to get back to Stormgate, but when you see him, give him this for me, would you?" she said as she quickly scribbled down a few words and then signed it with a lipsticked kiss.

"You know, most people don't ask the guy they just slept with to deliver love notes to their boyfriends," Dean teased, though he took the piece of paper anyway. At this point, he'd learned to run with it. Nothing about the Doctor or his friends was normal.

Besides, who was he to turn away a pretty girl in need of a little company?

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," River said, though the way she said it left her laughing and Dean more than a little suspicious about what kind of arrangement she had with the guy. She laughed even more at his expression and then leaned over to steal a kiss. "Don't overthink it, handsome."

"Yeah, that's something no one has ever accused me of doing before."

"Which is a shame, because you're so smart you sometimes leave yourself in the dust rushing ahead of your own thought process," she shot right back, barely even pausing for a breath.

Dean shook his head at her. "River…"

"Oh, don't give me that look," she said, waving her hand at him. "I've known you longer than you think I have. Every girl needs a best friend with benefits, don't you think?"

Dean couldn't help but laugh—it was the only way to deal with River when she was like this. "Can't argue that."

"So don't try," she said before she kissed his cheek again, leaving a faint mark of lipstick, and then flounced off, waving over her shoulder. "See you later!"

"Sounds like spoilers to me!" he called back.

"Is it?" River asked, pulling off a passable imitation of innocence before she laughed delightedly and disappeared in a streak of light to go back to wherever Stormcage was.

Dean shook his head and then headed back to the phone booth. No more distractions. He was going to find his brother, and he was going to find out what had happened to pull him out of Hell, and he was going to fix it.

Of course, the kiss-stained note in his back pocket left Dean with the sneaking suspicion that he was in for at least one more distraction. But hey, if that happened, maybe he could get the Doctor to give him a ride straight to Sam.

Yeah, and while he was dreaming up best-case scenarios, he'd like to retire in Hawaii with a nice girl and have three kids.