lie to me ; sam winchester (2) [discontinued]

3 ; feel like a stranger

Prescott Valley, Arizona
June 29, 2018

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Casey was feeling a little overwhelmed while they sat down to eat. Sam and Dean had both been sharing various stories with her; about things she'd missed or what had happened in the world within the last two years.

Casey was glad they were trying to catch her up, but she couldn't focus on much. Her mind kept wandering back to being in Hell, and what it had been like there. She was terrified someone, or something, would follow her here and try to take her back.

"Hey," Sam said softly, and Casey looked up. "If this is too much, just say so. We'll stop talking."

"I'm sorry," Casey mumbles. "I'm just really burnt out, I guess."

"Don't apologize," Sam says. "We can catch you up later."

"Yeah," Dean chimes in. "You've literally been to Hell and back, we get it."

Casey laughed; a real, genuine laugh. She had definitely missed Dean's sense of humor.

Sam glares at Dean, who winks at Casey.

"I see you haven't gotten any funnier," Casey jokes, and Dean's smirk fades. "I'm kidding! Don't look so sad."

"I bet there wasn't anyone as charming as me where you were, huh?" Dean teases, and Casey's stomach drops.

There were plenty of Dean's in Hell, and plenty of Sam's. Part of the cruel torture is that none of them were real, and every time she ended up realizing that she really was stuck down there. She had no one with her.

Casey forces a smile, and Sam scolds Dean.

"Did we joke with you when you got back from Hell?" Sam whisper-yells. "Stop talking about it, you're the only one who knows how she feels right now!"

Casey cleared her throat, and Sam looked at her. "It's okay. I have to get through it at some point, right?"

"You just got back," Sam says. "I think tonight has been too much. Dean, why don't you and Cas go get a different motel room? We'll head back to the bunker tomorrow,"

"Sounds good," Dean says, looking at Casey. "I'm sorry, really. But if you ever do wanna talk about it, I'm here. I'm not all jokes, you know."

Casey smiled and nodded towards Dean. "Thank you,"

Dean and Cas grabbed their things and left the motel room, leaving Sam and Casey alone. Casey was staring at the floor, afraid all of this was going to disappear any minute now. That it would all be another part in the cycle of her psychological torture.

"Hey," Sam says, sitting down next to Casey. "What are you thinking about?"

Casey swallows the lump in her throat. "Nothing. It's just weird to be back."