When Mary walks into the kitchen and sees Dean's image up on her tablet, she instantly regrets not trying to find him a few minutes ago. Checking the tablet was something that she did everyday; not to stalk, but to make sure that her boys were safe. People could disappear in Taxon, and she had always worried that one day it would be one of them who got sent back or pulled away, whatever they wanted to call it. She'd known that Sam wasn't there the moment she looked for him, but she had thought she should wait for Dean to talk to her.
One look at him makes her realize that she can't stand to wait any longer. "Dean," she says quietly, forcing down her own sadness so that she can sound a little better for him. He's the one who she has to look out for now. Him and Toby. "I know - I saw." There's no point in asking whether or not he's okay. He knows he's not.
Mary sighs, wondering if she should get up and go try to meet him. He might want to be alone for a while. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
He can hear Mary's voice coming from behind him, and it takes a long moment for him to go and pick up his tablet. But when he does, he grabs it and heads straight for his car, collapsing into the driver's seat, and leaving the tablet in the passenger's seat. Where Sam should be.
"We weren't really on good terms," Dean mumbles flatly. "We weren't... talking all that much."
That's all he can manage right now, closing his eyes and leaning back.
"I don't think it matters now," she answers, already knowing that he's going to play down what he's feeling, because that's what he's been trained to do. She hates that it turned out like this, and it's hard even for her to talk about what just happened, but she doesn't want Dean to close off. She still has two boys to worry about and she's not giving up on either one of them.
"I didn't think it mattered before," Mary adds, thinking that brothers getting along isn't a requirement. She still knew how much they cared about each other, she assumes it was understood by both of them, too.
Dean can't really think of anything to say in response to that. He's trying to hold himself together, and the only way he can stop himself from choking up is getting angry. And he'd prefer to get angry than to sob, so he's going to start driving. He's not driving recklessly, but man, if any Extras cross his path, he's running them over.
He doesn't know where he's driving to. He's just silent, staring resolutely out the windshield, contemplating putting on Metallica or something.
[visual and locked]tothelibraryDecember 1 2009, 20:41:56 UTC
"I'm not going to ask if you're okay. Because..." she shrugs, slightly. He's not okay. He shouldn't be. "Anyway."
She flips her tablet around on the counter, showing off the ice cream next to it. "We have a castle, and it has like three fridges. Also, me and the sweatshirt I stole from you."
[visual and locked]fudgingkillyouDecember 1 2009, 20:48:48 UTC
For a long moment, Dean is quiet, and then he manages a small, tired smile. "... Thanks, Dawnie."
And he'll be walking to his car, because hey, okay, he needs some kind of company right now, and besides, after the whole Jo and Ellen thing and the vampire kidnapping? He doesn't really want Dawn out of his sight, honestly.
So he's driving, a lot more slowly than usual because he's afraid he's going to crash into something if he's not careful (not from lack of attention but because the idea of breaking something sounds really nice right now). He'll be there in a few minutes.
[visual/locked]likeajoanDecember 1 2009, 21:08:42 UTC
Buffy has never seen Dean upset before. Angry, sure. Annoyed, pissed and other synonyms thereof yes, but never genuinely dejected in the way that he looks now. That combined with the empty space he's staring at, and she can make a fairly educated guess at what's happened. She sighs, mutters something obscene at the ceiling, and sits down slowly.
Re: [visual/locked]fudgingkillyouDecember 1 2009, 21:23:29 UTC
At this point Dean has picked his tablet up and is driving. He's going in and out of phases, from depressed to blank to pissed off to 'I want to break things". He's currently fading into the blank phase, and will soon be entering the last two for the third or fourth time.
"Buffy," Dean replies flatly, and as usual, him using her real name is indication that trouble is afoot.
[visual/locked]likeajoanDecember 1 2009, 22:59:54 UTC
It seems like asking if he's okay would be on the useless side of redundant, so she doesn't. She wants to comfort him somehow, but there's so much that can't be conveyed properly over the tablets. So instead she asks, quietly:
[visual/locked]fudgingkillyouDecember 1 2009, 23:12:18 UTC
He'll appreciate it at some point. Right now, he doesn't even know how to react to all of these shows of support, because it's really weird for him to have people see him depressed in any way. He suppresses that stuff like crazy.
"Hell if I know," Dean says, glancing at the tablet in the passenger's seat. "Just driving."
[location: impala]notcursedDecember 1 2009, 23:16:27 UTC
Toby's done this enough times to know better than to try to talk to him over the tablets. So he heads out, tells Liv he'll be back later, and hopes that Dean hasn't gone off to drink or be reckless by the time he gets to where Bobby's house used to be. If he hasn't, then Toby will be walking up slowly, cautiously. He'll let Dean have the first word.
If there's another thing he's learned, it's that asking if he's okay is pointless these days.
[location: impala]fudgingkillyouDecember 1 2009, 23:25:14 UTC
He's still there, sitting in front of the car door now, arms resting on his knees, staring into the distance. There's a thought starting, the thought that he should go get wasted, or go convince Faith to get high with him again, or something, but he can't be arsed to get up.
When Toby comes up, Dean doesn't look up.
"Guess Taxon's got a great sense of humor, huh?" Dean asks, rather dully. "Bring one Winchester in, take another one out."
When Dean speaks, Toby kind of hesitates, hands in his coat pockets - and then he moves, sitting down next to Dean, blocking him out as usual. It seems harder today, though. He tries not to wonder why.
"I bet he'll be back. I think Taxon likes your family."
"Not sure if I should take that as a good thing or a bad thing," Dean replies, letting out a chuckle that sounds rather forced, vaguely strained. He rubs at his forehead, trying to discreetly get rid of the sudden wetness in his eyes.
He remembers it's Toby he's talking to, and rather hurriedly, he reigns back his thoughts, which have been raging around like crazy. Guiltily, he looks in the other direction, and it shows on his face.
When Max sees Dean's transmission pop up, she figures it's the perfect opportunity to apologize for hitting on him back when she was in heat - that had been a little awkward, at least on her end.
However, she's not expecting him to look so dejected and when she sees him like that, it reminds her of how Alec looked when everything involving Rachel had gone down. Totally broken, like he'd lost everything.
He's not Alec, she doesn't even know him that well. But he is a nice guy (or he was nice to her - probably because she was hitting on him, but that was beside the point), and she can't bring herself to ignore the broadcast.
To be honest, Dean had no problem with her hitting on him at all. Right now, he's not thinking about that at all, it's probably the furthest thing on his mind, and so when she says his name, and he looks at his tablet in the passenger's seat, he almost doesn't recognize her.
The voice registers, though, and he reaches over, picking the tablet up. He's in control of himself right now, and the car is parked by the forest that had popped up in Osten.
"... Max? Hey," Dean replies, not sure as to why she was contacting him.
"Yeah," she answers, giving him a small, apologetic smile. "I'd wanted to apologize for the other day. Would've done it sooner, but things got kinda nuts for a while."
Again, it takes a minute to register, and then he snorts, taken by surprise. Well, he wasn't expecting an apology. "Uh, no problem. I wasn't complaining," he replies, vaguely amused.
And then he pauses, running a hand through his hair. "Nah. Just my brother, he's gone. Taxon sent him home." He won't mention the crazy-ass dreams.
Comments 46
One look at him makes her realize that she can't stand to wait any longer. "Dean," she says quietly, forcing down her own sadness so that she can sound a little better for him. He's the one who she has to look out for now. Him and Toby. "I know - I saw." There's no point in asking whether or not he's okay. He knows he's not.
Mary sighs, wondering if she should get up and go try to meet him. He might want to be alone for a while. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
Reply
"We weren't really on good terms," Dean mumbles flatly. "We weren't... talking all that much."
That's all he can manage right now, closing his eyes and leaning back.
Reply
"I didn't think it mattered before," Mary adds, thinking that brothers getting along isn't a requirement. She still knew how much they cared about each other, she assumes it was understood by both of them, too.
Reply
He doesn't know where he's driving to. He's just silent, staring resolutely out the windshield, contemplating putting on Metallica or something.
Reply
"...Dean?"
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"Hey, Dawn."
Reply
She flips her tablet around on the counter, showing off the ice cream next to it. "We have a castle, and it has like three fridges. Also, me and the sweatshirt I stole from you."
Beat.
"And a couple extra beds."
Reply
And he'll be walking to his car, because hey, okay, he needs some kind of company right now, and besides, after the whole Jo and Ellen thing and the vampire kidnapping? He doesn't really want Dawn out of his sight, honestly.
So he's driving, a lot more slowly than usual because he's afraid he's going to crash into something if he's not careful (not from lack of attention but because the idea of breaking something sounds really nice right now). He'll be there in a few minutes.
Reply
"Dean?"
Reply
"Buffy," Dean replies flatly, and as usual, him using her real name is indication that trouble is afoot.
Reply
"Where are you driving to?"
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"Hell if I know," Dean says, glancing at the tablet in the passenger's seat. "Just driving."
Reply
If there's another thing he's learned, it's that asking if he's okay is pointless these days.
Reply
When Toby comes up, Dean doesn't look up.
"Guess Taxon's got a great sense of humor, huh?" Dean asks, rather dully. "Bring one Winchester in, take another one out."
Reply
"I bet he'll be back. I think Taxon likes your family."
Reply
He remembers it's Toby he's talking to, and rather hurriedly, he reigns back his thoughts, which have been raging around like crazy. Guiltily, he looks in the other direction, and it shows on his face.
Reply
However, she's not expecting him to look so dejected and when she sees him like that, it reminds her of how Alec looked when everything involving Rachel had gone down. Totally broken, like he'd lost everything.
He's not Alec, she doesn't even know him that well. But he is a nice guy (or he was nice to her - probably because she was hitting on him, but that was beside the point), and she can't bring herself to ignore the broadcast.
"Dean?"
Reply
The voice registers, though, and he reaches over, picking the tablet up. He's in control of himself right now, and the car is parked by the forest that had popped up in Osten.
"... Max? Hey," Dean replies, not sure as to why she was contacting him.
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She tilts her head. "Something going on?"
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And then he pauses, running a hand through his hair. "Nah. Just my brother, he's gone. Taxon sent him home." He won't mention the crazy-ass dreams.
Reply
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