Not While I'm Around

I Dreamed A Dream...And It Confused Me

            “Dammit Cass! Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” Dean shouted. He pulled back the curtain a little and stuck his head out.

            “I find no need for knocking. You wanted to ask me something and I answered. Knocking had nothing to do with your question,” Castiel remarked. “I have been keeping an eye out for Anna, but know that I am not the only one. Zachariah is looking for her, as well as Raphael and Bartholomew,” Castiel stated.

            Dean sighed, wiping the water from his eyes. “Thanks for that. Now will you please get out?” Dean growled in annoyance, stepping back into the shower fully.

            “Your dream was not about Anna,” Castiel muttered.

            Dean stuck his head out again. “What are you talking about? How do you know about the dream? And what do you mean it’s not about Anna?”

            “If Anna had come to you in a dream, I would have been able to use it to track her down. There is no trace of Grace in here. Maybe it was about someone else; it might not have been an Angel at all.”

            “That still doesn’t explain how you know about the dream in the first place,” Dean remarked as he went back to showering. He didn’t have time to have this conversation with Castiel, when the Colt could be on the road before they even got close to it.

            “I heard you talking to yourself in the mirror.”

            Dean paused in the middle of washing his hair. “You can hear me even when you’re not around?”

            “Of course I can. I am tuned in to both you and Sam at all times, in case you need my assistance. I’ll wait out in the other room for you to finish up.” The door opened and closed, and Dean was alone again.

            He could hear Castiel and Sam talking in the other room and smiled to himself. Castiel annoyed him sometimes, but the Angel had saved his butt more times than he could remember, and Dean was grateful for it. It had been a long time since Castiel had been on Earth and in a vessel, so Dean often found himself cutting Cass slack. He would never be able to repay Castiel for everything he’d done for him and Sam.

            Dean sighed and finished his shower. He grabbed a towel from the pile on the sink and wrapped it around his hips. He absentmindedly rubbed the tattoo on his chest as he brushed his teeth. It was times like this that Dean could almost pretend that everything was normal; that he didn’t spend his life hunting monsters and sleeping in crappy motel rooms across the country. His thoughts drifted back to Lisa and Ben- the only thing close to a normal life he’d ever had. Dean slipped on a pair of jeans, deciding to go commando and forgo boxers, and left the bathroom.

            “You ready to hit the road?” Sam asked.

            “Yeah, I just have to make a call first.” Dean grabbed his phone from the table and went outside. He dialed Lisa’s number and waited as it rang.

            “Hello?” Lisa answered on the fourth ring.

            “Hey Lisa, it’s me Dean,” He began. “I just wanted to call and wish Ben a happy belated birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t call last week, Bobby got sick and ended up in the hospital; Sam and I were with him all week and I forgot about Ben’s birthday. Tell him that his gift is in the mail. I hope he likes it.”

            “Dean … Ben’s birthday was two months ago. We haven’t heard from you in almost a year. I love you Dean, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep waiting around for you to find the time to see us. I have needs, and Ben needs a father figure in his life. I’m sorry … it’s over. Goodbye.” Lisa hung up before Dean had the chance to reply. The phone fell from Dean’s hand and landed on the concrete, breaking into a dozen pieces. Dean fell to his knees on the ground, his head in his hands.