drop me a line, stating point of view

[ever_noteful]

Meg stands in Castiel's room with her back against the door to Dean's room and her eyes closed and counts until she reaches seven hundred and forty-three

Comments

[hopeitsworthit]

It takes awhile for a note to get passed back under the door.

Several hours, certainly -- possibly the bulk of the day.

For one, it's gonna be a damn long time before Dean even looks back over at the door.

Why?

[ever_noteful]

Long enough that Meg has finished making her list and getting her things and putting them all away before she sees the reply arrive.

And when she does, she stares at it for a long time.

Not an easy question to answer.

Not even an easy question to identify. There are a lot of whys here.

Finally, she writes her reply below his single word, and slides the paper back under the door.

I know this is not a helpful response, and I'm sorry about that, but I'm not sure how to answer.

Why what?

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean looks at the returned note blankly.

Why what, what?

(He doesn't know.)

At least the reply comes faster this time. Marginally. The writing is jagged, big -- at several points it has almost torn through the paper.

Are you insane?

[ever_noteful]

He gets the reply on a new sheet of paper, and in the morning, after she's slept.

Or tried to sleep.

Or some combination thereof.

I don't believe so, no.

Good morning, Dean.

[hopeitsworthit]

The obvious follow-up, 'am I insane', is not actually useful information.

He sends the paper back a little under an hour later.

What do you want?

[ever_noteful]

This reply comes quite quickly, really.

Well, at some point I'd like to talk to you, if I may.

What do you want?

[hopeitsworthit]

There are a lot of things Dean used to want.

Now --

Well, now he'd like to stop feeling stupid for resorting to these wussy notes.

Dammit.

It takes him a while to actually steel himself to open the door.

It's actually pretty humiliating when he can't get it open.

Which is why it takes him about twice as long to get up the gumption to, well --

"Meg."

[ever_noteful]

At least she hears him, and he doesn't have to call her twice?

The door swings open a moment later, the same few inches as before, and Meg looks around it into his room.

"Dean?"

[hopeitsworthit]

He takes a couple steps back from the door, hands held carefully at his sides.

"Hi."

That one word is a lot harder to say than it should be. But at least it's coherent?

[ever_noteful]

"Hi.

"May I come in?"

And oh but a lot of effort goes into making that question sound casual.

[hopeitsworthit]

"I don't think you should."

There should be a follow-up to that, or a lead-in, but --

[ever_noteful]

"I'll just stay here, then."

Though she does open the door a few more inches.

"Um."

Oh, very eloquent, that.

But how are you? is a thoroughly insane thing to ask, and she can't think of anything else.

She's had more than a day to figure out something to say here, and she's got absolutely nothing but the all-but-useless how are you?

Get it together, Meghan.

"How are you?"

Brilliant.

[hopeitsworthit]

"I've been better?"

It has the sound of a stab in the dark.

(Not that kind. Really.)

[ever_noteful]

"I'm sure," Meg says.

"Um, well, is there anything I can help with?

"Anything you'd like me to try to get for you?

"Or I can try to answer questions, if I can. I may not know the answers but . . ."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Where -- "

He stops for a second, carefully excising one of two things from that question.

1) Sam

2) Milliways

Just in case this is --

"You didn't bring me here."

Start with what you're certain of and build from there. Right?

[ever_noteful]

"I didn't, no," she says.

"You're in Milliways. Well, one of the rooms upstairs, technically."