"You and Sam made the news."

"Jimmy? That you?" Jimmy hoped he wasn't imagining that Dean sounded happy to hear him.

Instead of answering Jimmy turned up the volume. "Satanism and arson. You guys had a twofer."

Dean groaned into the phone. "I knew we didn't clean that place up well enough. That hunt couldn't have gone any worse."

"You're only saying that because you can't see the composite sketches."

Dean groaned again. "Everything okay?" he said, changing the subject.

"As much as it ever is. Something's going on up in Heaven and he had to head back. And he wasn't happy about it. I don't know how long he'll be." He couldn't fight down his nerves anymore. "You said I should call."

"Damn right. Where'd he leave you?"

Jimmy picked up a menu from the room end table. He'd woken up in a strange room holding a motel key and no idea beyond that. "Bright Side motel in Reno. You'd love this room, Dean, it's filthy."

"Hey, that's not even four hours away," he said, and Jimmy could hear him choosing his words. "It cool if I drop by?"

Jimmy's grip went tight on the phone. "If you don't have a hunt," he said. As if his heart hadn't gone into his throat when Dean asked that question.

"Got some stuff Sam's researching, but nothing I need to be around for."

"Well, I certainly don't have any plans." If he kept the tone casual Jimmy thought he could ignore how hard his heart was pounding.

"Cool. I should be there by noon or so. We could...Jesus, I need to know more people who aren't hunters. What do normal people do? Movies? People go to movies, right?"

Jimmy told himself very firmly that Dean Winchester was not falling all over himself asking Jimmy out to a movie. He didn't actually think that was what was happening and anyway, he didn't need any help feeling like a teenager around Dean. "Get here first and we'll figure something out."

Dean laughed and ended the call. Jimmy sat on the end of the bed, staring at the number blinking on his phone. The urge to call home was overwhelming but pointless; if Castiel thought he'd be at work in Heaven for long he would have dropped Jimmy on his front porch, not in some rat trap in Reno. After the argument last time he wasn't sure if he'd even be welcome. Amends would have to wait until he was free to make them.

It was strange to think that the angel might be matchmaking him with Dean and Jimmy couldn't shake the feeling of being some kind of consolation prize. Like Castiel was setting Dean up with a replacement if the fighting didn't go his way. The thought was both presumptuous and incredibly sad.

Truthfully, he had no idea what was going to happen when Dean walked through through that door, if things would be different between them without Castiel there too. He didn't know if he even wanted anything to happen.

All he knew was that Dean was the first good thing that had happened to him since saying yes and he didn't have the willpower to turn his back on that. He thought it wasn't too much to ask for a port in the storm. And if this sin was the one that sent him to hell, he'd deal with it when he got there.

Jimmy took off his coat; his hands shook when he tried to loosen his tie so he just left it where it was as he settled down to wait.

And if Castiel decided to come calling before Dean got there, Jimmy was just going to tell him to wait his turn.