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The bunker had been fairly quiet all day, just zooming and whirring in its usual way. Sam hadn’t minded it too much, even though he’d gotten a little used to Cas being present already –expecting the angel to be around the corner whenever he’d enter the kitchen or library by now. But Cas had gone back upstairs (Heaven, obviously) for some errands that Jack had called him for and while Cas hadn’t explicitly said it, Sam knew the angel was going to stop by a certain someone else too when he was up there anyway.
Normally the quiet had been something that had bothered Sam, and lately even more whenever Cas had to pop back up for whatever thing he had going on at that time –mostly checking in with Jack or Dean. But this time Sam had something to look forward to, besides Cas returning.
Earlier that day he’d gotten a call, and even though he probably could have given the needed information over the phone, a visit had been insisted upon.
And while Sam could say no, he wasn’t quite able to say no to Jody Mills.
So after hearing the woman he saw as a second mom (or maybe, just a little bit, the first, but that was really not on him, was it?) tell him about the clues she’d gathered regarding the latest monster plaguing her jurisdiction, he had been quick to deduct the most likely suspect. The second he’d opened his mouth to share that with Jody though, she’d told him to never mind it and that she’d come by, that she was already somewhat on the way. That she might as well make use of all those dusty old geezer books he had lying around and while at it, maybe they could have some lunch together?
It had been clear right away to Sam that there was no arguing, so he’d simply let himself digest this in a moment of quiet before he’d agreed. He’d been avoiding her long enough anyway, after everything, and hell, he hadn’t even told her yet that Cas was back. That he’d basically had a constant stream of news about Dean, which should be rather insane when considering Dean was dead. But Jody would understand. Even if she hadn’t known about the whole Heaven, Purgatory and Hell, about the whole my-sort-of-son-is-God-now, about... well, everything? Even then, she probably would in some way find understanding.
It just really helped that she did know.
“Hello Sam.”
Sam looked up from the book he had just pulled off the shelf, his eyebrows raising when spotting a certain trench coat wearing angel standing in the arch to the war room. He looked exactly like he’d done when he had left two days before, though maybe just a little more tousled –like he’d traversed a tough wind to get into the bunker.
“Hey Cas.” Sam greeted back, glancing back at the book in his hands and deciding it was indeed the right one before he moved back to the closest table. There was already a stack of books there, not all of them related to the case at hand but also being books he knew Jody would want to look at, simply because of things she had mentioned before, and this one was added easily. Sam did figure he should probably stop before it got out of hand, especially when knowing Jody probably wouldn’t be around the whole afternoon. She still had a monster to go after, and every minute she spent at the bunker and then on the road was somewhat wasted if a monster was running rampant elsewhere.
“Are you researching something?”
The stack of books would surely point to that, and Sam didn’t need to look at Cas to know he was taking in the titles to determine what the subject of said research was, but he looked at him anyway. He managed something of a smile –a bit of an awkward one, really, as he added in a light shake of his head.
“Jody is coming by. She’s got a monster up in Sioux Falls, and wanted to look through some of the bunker’s books for help.”
It looked like Cas wanted to comment on that (probably exactly the same thing Sam had thought; that he could’ve helped her over the phone undoubtedly), but he seemed to realise the alternative motive behind the visit. That it wasn’t just about the books, or about the monster running around. That it was still about a monster, just the one running around in Sam’s mind. The one called grief.
All that Cas settled on eventually was a nod, before he asked if Sam had already eaten. If he had eaten at all –breakfast first, lunch recently, maybe. There was a mention of cereal for breakfast, along with some fruit that Cas had gotten for Sam right before he’d left for his errands, and then he explained he’d been waiting with lunch for Jody. That it had been Jody’s suggestion to have some lunch together while pouring over the books.
Within the hour the front door to the bunker opened and the familiar shape of Sioux Falls’ sheriff walked in.
“Sam!”
The warm greeting lit something in Sam’s chest that he hadn’t entirely realised he’d been missing, and the smile that pushed up on his face upon Jody’s approach proved it all the more. She was smiling warmly herself, eyes taking him in quickly and once satisfied at what she was seeing and close enough, she opened her arms.
“Come here.”
Even though Jody stepped forward herself, Sam moved closer as well and allowed her to pull him into a tight hug, bending down just a little to be able to hug her properly. It was soft and warm and full of care, and Sam nearly found himself tearing up at the way it felt quite like home.
“It’s good to see you, Sam. You look good.”
Sam huffed out something close enough to a laugh –almost teary, but he decided not to focus on that. Despite, he was still smiling when they finally pulled away from their hug and still when Jody was looking at him with that soft motherly look she did so well, a soft brush of her hand passing over his cheek.
“You too, Jody.” He replied, a little quieter than he’d intended but she heard him all the same.
Then the attention moved to the last person in the room, who’d been quietly and seemingly contently watching the scene from his place at the bottom of the small stairs leading to the library. Cas had clasped his hands together in front of himself, the lightest of smiles on his face, eyes mostly focused on Sam but moving to Jody once she’d turned her attention to him.
“How in the-”
Sam answered the unspoken question when it became clear Jody wouldn’t say more than that, a sheepish look on his face: “it’s um, a long story.”
At his words, Jody looked back at him and huffed, giving him a playful and soft swat to the chest. “And you forgot to tell me? Clearly it’s good I came by.”
The three of them moved to the kitchen then, settling in and sharing some lunch, along with stories. Jody filled Sam in on the girls when he asked, and she in return asked to hear the story of Cas’ return and of what they’d been up to. There was a hesitance in Sam to bring up Dean, to bring up what he was doing –how he was doing, and how Sam knew. But Jody glanced between them at the mention of Dean asking Cas to stick with Sam, and Sam knew he didn’t need to say more.
The lunch was devoured fairly quick and some drinks got taken to the library, where Jody flicked through the books and Sam pointed out relevant paragraphs, as well as offering the books he told her he remembered she’d mentioned. The offer made Jody smile warmly, even if she protested at least once to the offer of taking them home as a loan.
Then Jody was packing back up, jacket being shrugged on at the one end of a table.
Cas and Sam stood at the other end, a quiet longing starting up within Sam at the idea of a case. Of going out, rumbling down a road or what and looking for clues to find the hideout of a monster. Of gearing up with proper weapons and slashing or shooting away, bringing them down.
“Sam.”
Turning his head, Sam wasn’t entirely surprised to see Cas already watching him, but the blue was so intense for a moment that he couldn’t help but wonder how Dean managed to look at Cas for such long periods of time. But there was a softness in them, a warmth that seemed unlikely when considering the colour blue, and despite not having been entirely tense, Sam felt himself relax anyway.
“We could join her.”
The suggestion would have been unexpected if Sam’s brain didn’t immediately connect the previous feeling of longing with Cas’ ability to sense that –to which degree, Sam didn’t know, but clearly enough of it. Still, Sam found himself to raise his eyebrows a little, to let himself be surprised just a little.
Then he took Cas in, to make sure he was sure about this, that he really meant the both of them and wanted this himself. But then again, Cas was an angel. Cas was a Seraph back to his full powers, as he used to be, so if anyone was safe taking on a silly little case, it would be him.
And, well, it would only be in Sam’s favour to have Cas there by his side.
“Yeah,” Sam found himself answering, growing all the more confident in the idea. “Yeah, let’s.”
Jody was pleasantly surprised to hear Sam tell her he’d –they’d join, the two of them. That they’d help Jody with what they’d figured had to be a Siren. That together they’d be stronger, especially considering Jody’s force wasn’t able to help out and the girls were out and about doing their own things, on their own trips, or off to college.
Of course once again there was a protest, but one small and half-hearted enough for Jody to smile all the way through it and wave Sam along.
Sam and Cas took Sam’s own car –not the Impala, Sam wasn’t sure he was ready for that- and drove after Jody, making the almost six hour-ride over to Sioux Falls easily.
It was strange, for Sam to be back on the road, and painful to a degree, but at the same time he was filled with something warm and fizzling. Something like excitement, probably, that had him energized in a way he hadn’t felt for a while. Sure, it had been nice to have Cas around and it had done wonders, but there was still the looming shadow of the monster chasing Sam. Of the grief, the sadness, the pain.
Cas just got better and better at chasing it away, and maybe one day, he’d be able to fully expel it.
Not that day though.
That day, Sam drove them to Sioux Falls with a double feeling and geared up with a bronze dagger they’d coated in the blood of one of the Siren’s victims –much to Jody’s distaste.
The woods they ended up running through were not working well with Sam, though despite the years and years of hunting, he wasn’t entirely surprised he’d gotten a little out of practice. It had been a while since he’d been on a proper monster-chase, a few months, actually, the last having been- well, then. He’d jogged outside, once or twice, barely a handful of times, but nothing quite like a forest floor with roots sticking out everywhere and the earth slightly slick from the spring rain that had misted the forest barely an hour before.
Still, he caught up to the Siren, tripping them and slashing out –but missing when stumbling himself. Sam managed to stay on his feet, the monster regaining themself and charging at Sam instead. The monster’s own knife came his way fast, barely giving Sam time to not only get steady, but also duck to avoid. There was a small moment of panic –of knowing his back up wasn’t here, that he was alone- but it was quickly tamped down when the monster heard the footsteps coming their way and took off again.
The burning sensation that had sliced down Sam’s cheek and upper arm made it clear the knife had made contact, but with a quick sweep of a hand across his cheek and barely any red staining his fingers after, Sam was convinced he’d be fine. That, and the panic having gone and being replaced by the relief that he wasn’t alone, not really.
That being said, they had a monster to catch, so Sam took only a quick glance at his upper arm, decided there wasn’t enough red seeping into his clothes to worry and took off after the monster. That’s also how Sam ended up slipping, feet disappearing from underneath him and his back connecting painfully with the ground. The sky above twirled, the many green leaves and blooming May flowers woven in creating an almost kaleidoscopic view. Something that made him a little dizzy, a little nauseous, a little out of it.
“Sam.”
Blue eyes, warm hands, a familiar face making the world still pleasantly. It was strange to be in this position; on the muddy forest ground, with Cas hovering beside him- a little over him, the angel’s hands on Sam’s cheeks.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Sam breathed out, wincing when trying to get up and almost finding himself to sadden at the loss of Cas’ warm hands when they fell down. He couldn’t help but grimace as he tried to move his back a little, rolling his shoulders and eventually just wincing a few times when trying to find a way to get up comfortably. “Just- damn, slipped real bad.”
Cas’ eyes took him in briefly, before he moved two fingers up and carefully touched Sam’s forehead. The fizzy warmth of grace immediately filled Sam, bringing him back to health and having him relax. Then he met Cas’ eyes, giving the angel a thankful smile. “Thanks, Cas.”
The only response Cas gave him was a nod, and then a hand outstretched once he’d gotten up and was standing beside Sam. A hand that Sam gladly took, letting himself be pulled back onto his feet and dusting off his jeans a little. There were probably gigantic stains in the back of his clothes, but he couldn’t care less. Clothes could be washed or replaced, body parts however, not so much.
“Did you see where they went?”
Sam glanced around, trying to figure out which way he’d been going and where he might’ve seen the Siren go off to, but the slipping had turned him around a little. Not to mention that everything kind of looked the same. So many trees, so many bushes, so many of all of nature. Appreciated, but not helpful right then.
“Jody is this way.” Cas told him then, having noticed the hesitance, before taking off to the left.
Making sure he still had his dagger, Sam carefully stepped after Cas, being a little more mindful of where he was stepping this time. It seemed most of the ground had hardened back out enough to prevent more slipping from happening, but there were patches of puddles that definitely were passed by with a wide enough arc.
The thud of something had Sam speed up his pace, soon enough Cas and himself stepping into a slightly more empty, somewhat circular patch in the forest and finding Jody standing over a body. A dead body. A dead monster-body.
“You killed them?”
“Yeah! It was super easy, actually,” Jody half-laughed, seeming a little proud of herself with it. “I don’t know why you didn’t manage it sooner.”
Sam huffed in reply, lowering the dagger he’d been holding and casting a glance at the monster now lying on the forest floor. Dead, for sure, but better off burned or something anyway. Not in a forest, of course, but either way.
“Alright, well,” Sam cleared his throat and gave Jody a smile. “Good job. Let’s get rid of the body and get out of here.”
“Calls for a celebration. You’ll stick around for some midnight dessert, won’t you?” Jody nudged Sam once he’d gotten close enough, the grin on her face for a moment making Sam’s heart ache with how much it reminded him of Dean. But then it warmed it instead, at the idea of spending more time with Jody. At the idea of indulging a little in something sweet while cozying up on a couch in a warm house.
Yeah, he could do that. They could do that.
It was still his birthday after all, and maybe for once he could indulge himself a little –like Dean would say. And while it brought a mix of feelings much like the driving had done, like taking this case had done, there were good feelings in there and that was enough for then.
“Sounds like a plan to me. Cas? You in?” Sam turned to look at Cas, who –as Sam had gotten a little used to now- was already looking at him.
Cas produced a soft smile, his eyes bright and warm. “Yes, I’d like that.”
The three took to taking care of the monster further, before taking themselves and the cars back to Jody’s, for the promised warmth and dessert. And maybe if every case would be like this –would be filled with companionship and the thrill Sam hadn’t known he’d missed- maybe he could find it in himself to go out on one another time. Then another time, and then another. Surely, he could keep that going. He could keep fighting, there were the fight was needed.
Sam Winchester wasn’t near done, after all.