The Dimensions of Dreams

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Supernatural.

Timeline:

Season 5

Summary:

In which Team Free Will befriends someone from an AU, Dean's boxers end up having 'Property of Castiel' written on them, Cas helps promote Chuck's books and someone dies?

Team Free Will were about to get into the Impala when they had all felt someone staring at them and looked up to see her.

She stared at them.

They stared back at her.

She blinked.

"Are you really just gonna stand there staring at us all night," Dean exclaimed, having enough of the staring contest.

The black-haired woman frowned slightly. "It's not like you weren't staring back. Besides, it's my dream. I can stare if I want."

"This isn't a dream." The green eyed hunter told her.

She gave him a look. "Well of course you're going to say that. As the dreamer I'm the only one who ever realizes it is in fact, a dream."

He growled. "It's not a dream!"

Castiel, who had previously been examining the woman with a confused frown spoke up, "You are from an alternate universe."

The woman sighed. "While I haven't read much into the science and spirituality of dreaming I do suppose dreams could be the consciousness of a person experiencing alternate realities."

Dean glanced at his brother. "Is she serious?"

Sam blinked in surprise as one moment she had been standing on one side of the parking lot and the next she was about a foot away from Castiel. He frowned, wondering if this was a ghost.

The older Winchester had also noticed and readied his gun in case it got hostile. So far though the woman didn't even seem to know she was dead.

To both brothers' amazement, a blush formed across her cheeks.

"Is it okay if I," she paused, biting her bottom lip, "hug you?"

Cas stared at her, tilting his head.

She smiled, taking his silence as a yes. Her brown eyes scanned his form before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. She couldn't stop the grin from forming when she pulled away, briefly running her fingers through his hair and thus making it stand up even more. "Okay, it's official. You are utterly irresistible and I'll never understand how Dean hasn't jumped you yet."

Dean's face went blank while Sammy snorted with laughter.

The angel simply frowned. "I don't understand." He glanced over at Dean who immediately glanced away and Sam who was now laughing without restraint before looking back at this woman.

"Can I try on your trench coat?" The dark-haired woman asked with a bright smile.

Dean and Sam were talking about the woman, Karen, who refused to leave, out in the motel parking lot while Castiel watched her. Unfortunately after finding out she wasn't a ghost, she wouldn't admit to being anything supernatural and even Cas didn't know anything other than that she wasn't from this universe. So, now what did they do?

The angel watched, intrigued as the dark-haired woman, still wearing his trench coat, searched the motel room and eventually pulled out Dean and Sam's duffle bags.

Karen frowned after opening them and glanced over to Cas. "Which one of these is Dean's?"

He walked over to the bed she had placed the bags on and looked at them, immediately being able to tell Dean's from Sam's. "Why is it that you wish to know?"

The woman smirked and leaned closer to whisper into his ear. Then she pulled away.

A serious expression formed on his face as he frowned.

"I'm positive Dean wouldn't mind," she added, grinning innocently. It wasn't a lie. He wouldn't mind but her idea made her want to giggle in delight. Damn, when had she turned into such a fan girl? Ugh, at least this was just a dream so no one would be witnessing it.

"What purpose would it serve?"

Season 5, she told herself. This is Season 5 Cas. Honestly she wasn't sure if Season 8 Castiel would get it but whether he understood it now or not was inconsequential. He'd understand sentimental value soon enough if he agreed. Which wouldn't be too hard if she worked the logical approach. Cas couldn't argue with that. "Well, what if there was an emergency and Dean was unable to tell you where he was?" Like when in a brief moment of insanity he decides he wants to say yes. "Wouldn't having something help you locate him?"

"But why would you-"

"Oh I just wanna borrow something. You know, like I'm borrowing your trench coat. I'll give it back to you before you leave."

He nodded.

Score.

Dean's eyebrows drew together as he walked in to see Karen wearing jeans that were too big and wait-! Was she wearing his clothes?! Wasn't Cas supposed to be watching her! He glanced around and sure enough the angel was doing exactly that…and only that.

Castiel was frowning, tilting his head in confusion as if to say, 'I do not understand your enjoyment in dressing in another's article of clothing.'

"Hey Cas, throw me a belt," she said, not even looking toward the door.

Both Winchesters were surprised to see Castiel reach into one of their bags without looking and pulling a belt out before throwing it at the bed she was standing beside.

"What-?" He glanced from Cas over to the woman. "Why are you wearing my clothes," he asked, almost whining.

Sam snickered, earning a glare from his brother.

After tightening the belt enough so that Dean's jeans wouldn't fall off she slipped the trench coat back on. "Because you and Castiel are my favorites," she replied with a smile.

It suddenly clicked and Dean demanded, "Did Chuck send you? Are you one of his fans?" He grumbled to himself, "As if Becky wasn't bad enough; if that guy wasn't protected by angels I'd kill him."

"Nope, not a fan of Chuck. Never read the books. Where I'm from this is a TV show though. I watch that."

"Yeah, yeah, alternate reality, Cas said," Dean waved her off.

Karen didn't bother correcting him. Alternate reality? Dream? What did it matter? Either way she definitely wasn't from here.

Since they couldn't get rid of her Karen ended up tagging along with the Winchesters or following Castiel after Team Free Will discovered that taking a hit from a demon or monster was practically impossible with her ability to dodge, something even she seemed completely surprised at.

Whenever Karen was with Dean and Sam the pair sometimes took turns keeping her entertained. It wasn't like they thought something would happen to her if she was left alone but that well, when the brown-eyed woman got bored she'd come up with pranks: blue dye in Sam's body wash, syrup in their coffee, ranch dressing in Dean's burger, bacon bits in Sam's salad, switching the music tape in the Impala with another tape that had music by Elvis, changing their ringtones, putting so many condoms in Sam's wallet that when he opened it they pretty much all fell out, dyeing Dean's boxers and writing 'Property of Castiel' on them before giving one to Cas in front of them (Dean really wanted to know why the angel had given him an almost a smile after that before folding them and placing the boxers in his trench coat pocket and No, such a thing had NOT turned him on), and then there was the fact she'd start making things to promote Chuck's books (which wasn't so bad except she kept promoting it half the time by telling women they'd love the gay pairings that one could read fan fiction about and after finding out she wasn't promoting A relationship between Dean and Sam they were a little afraid what someone would consider even better). So, yeah, the Winchesters tended to try to keep her somewhat entertained.

It didn't take long for Cas to warm up to her. The angel couldn't help but compare her to a playful puppy though there were moments where her logic and insight surprised him. Then there was the fact that she didn't seem to mind the times when he did or said something that the Winchesters found odd and Dean would give him a look. Karen would just laugh and tell him she found him adorable. Why Dean felt the need to glare at her then, he would probably never know. He was also somewhat surprised at her idea to try to get more people to read the Winchester gospel and even helped by providing the materials needed for posters and such along with helping her put some up all over the United States as he searched for God.

Karen wondered if Chuck would write that they put up the posters because it really was an ingenious idea. Not because those seeing the posters might start reading the book series but because those who did might have seen one of the posters before the book came out and get excited if they remembered it, making them want to share the fact that something in the book had happened in real life despite the fact they probably didn't believe it was really her and Cas.

By the time the two month mark hit Karen was considered part of the team and all three worried when it appeared their friend's playful mood began to severely diminish. And in the true fashion of the team, the woman tried to pretend nothing was wrong.

The brown-eyed woman glanced up as she heard the sound of Castiel's wings just before he appeared. Luckily Sam and Dean were still asleep. She didn't want to get interrogated by all three at once.

"Karen."

She glanced away. "What is it Cas?"

"You are unwell." He stated simply.

Trying to inwardly push her negative feelings down, she gave her favorite angel a look and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Castiel frowned because he didn't see why the woman would lie since she knew he could tell how she was feeling, having given him permission to look at that while asking him to refrain from reading her thoughts. He continued to stare at her in concern as he saw the way her soul changed to reflect her emotional state.

The dark-haired woman stared back but her expression only stayed blank for a moment or two before her resolve cracked and her shoulders slumped slightly, posture reflecting her defeat. "All right," she smiled sadly at him. "You win." If she had to talk to someone she probably would've chosen him anyway because she knew no matter what she confessed the angel wouldn't look at or treat her different. "Do you," she started but then paused. "Do you have someone you couldn't conceive existing without?" Seeing his slight confusion made her almost smile.

At first he thought of the brotherly bond between Dean and Sam but almost rejected the idea that it was the kind of bond his friend was talking about. A bond so strong one couldn't exist without the other. His frown deepened. Did she mean the other would die? His eyes widened slightly in realization, "Your soul mate?" It made sense. One could live without their soul mate as long as they didn't recognize them as such. Being rejected by their soul mate would help only slightly in their chances of living if the other died but more than likely the other half couldn't make it without a bond. And although most humans didn't believe in the existence of soul mates he wouldn't put it pass this one to believe in it completely. "Is the bond broken?"

She shook her head. "It's," she tilted her head, trying to find the right words. "Frail and faded."

Since the beginning he'd known she'd been searching for a way back but since she only did so when the Winchesters were sleeping he had not thought it'd be as important as it actually was. "Have you discovered how you arrived here?"

Karen sighed. "I can't even remember what I was doing before I was here."

"How are you feeling?" He questioned, knowing she'd know he was asking because of the bond.

Brown eyes reflected worry as she bit her bottom lip. "Tired and kind of stiff. Last week I was only a little tired so I didn't want to trouble anyone but if it keeps progressing at this speed I don't know how long I'll last."

Castiel's jaw stiffened. It was definitely something to be worried about because since Karen's arrival she hadn't felt the need to sleep or eat. He could easily follow her conclusions as she was possibly the most logical human he'd ever met and knew that she'd came to the idea that because Karen's soul mate wasn't dead but also not in the same universe that the massive distance was causing her slow demise.

Suddenly she flinched, blinking in surprise as she stared at her hand.

His blue eyes narrowed as he witnessed her hand become slightly transparent. They needed to wake Dean and Sam. Something had to be done about this as soon as possible.

After Karen got yelled at by Dean for not telling them about what was wrong Team Free Will went into research mode, calling Bobby to see what he could dig up as well.

She felt the love. Really, she did. It warmed her heart to see them working so hard but the truth of the matter was she'd been researching for the past two months without success and even though they were better at it none of them really knew what to even look for since she didn't remember how she got here. A week later she felt almost exhausted, her walk showed how stiff she felt, and each day one part of her body became transparent for a few minutes before solidifying again.

At the end of the second week Bobby came up with the idea of somehow using the soul mate bond to find out where Karen's soul mate was and maybe even find a way to open the door using it.

Her whole body, clothes and all started to become lighter. She looked deathly pale by the end of the third week and confessed to feeling pain throughout her body.

By week four, a little over three months since she'd arrived, Karen was too weak to do more than sit up. Moving made her wince and she was past exhaustion. For the first time ever they actually saw her sleep though whenever she started becoming more transparent they woke her up and she'd look more solid again.

"Son of a bitch," Dean cursed as he slammed yet another book closed.

The dark-haired woman whimpered, having jumped at the sound and was now awake again.

He winced before getting up to check on her. "Hey, how you doin'?"

She stared at him through sleep eyes. "Where are we?"

"Nevada," the hunter answered, knowing she didn't care much about what city they were in most of the time.

Karen frowned in confusion. Nevada? Where were they the last time she asked? She couldn't remember.

Dean gave her a moment, knowing her mind was processing information slower now and was surprised to see a weak smile grace her lips.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go to Las Vegas?"

He gave her a grin. "I like women who know their priorities," he winked, making her laugh/wince.

Her eyes closed. "Such a kidder Dean. We all know it's Castiel you really want," she mumbled as she drifted back to sleep. If she'd been more lucid she would've kicked herself for missing Dean's angry blush. No doubt the only reason he didn't start an argument was because she was already unconscious again.

"Karen? Karen, wake up." Sam tried to gently wake her.

Castiel walked up to her. "Let me."

The younger Winchester moved out of the way and the angel pressed two fingers to her slightly transparent forehead.

Her eyes opened. For a couple seconds her mind was clear again and she was completely awake. But after those seconds were over she was back to her former condition, except she was still slightly transparent.

Dean's jaw tensed at the sight as Sammy stared sadly at her.

"Cas?" She almost whispered.

"I've decided to grant your wish," the blue-eyed angel stated seriously.

Karen smiled, eyes closing for a moment before she forced them open again. "Oh?" She didn't think she ever told him of her desire to see him with Dean so it must've been something silly she'd once asked for out of the blue. It confused her when he kneeled down, his back facing her. But then it hit her and her smile widened. "Dean? Sam? A little help?"

The two helped her up, almost wincing themselves as they heard her bite back her whimpers and whines from the pain.

"Are you ready?" Castiel questioned, glancing back at her.

"Go for it." Heh, getting a piggy back ride angel-style was freaking awesome.

"There's nothing we can do Dean," Sam told his brother, earning a glare.

"We can't just sit here and watch her fade out of existence!" He said, talking a beer out of the refrigerator.

"We haven't been doing nothing; We've looked everywhere. Cas has looked everywhere." The taller brother reminded him. "We couldn't even find anything to trace the soul mate connection."

Since Cas had appeared in the other room neither heard or saw him as he lowered himself down and Karen slowly let go, allowing herself to slide down onto the bed before the angel turned around to reposition her.

"Honestly, even if we found something it might already be too late by now."

The blue-eyed angel frowned, knowing it was the truth but wishing Karen had not had to hear it.

"Cas," she whispered as quietly as possible.

He glanced at her, tilting his head.

"You have my permission to look into my head."

Castiel didn't think anything of it, knowing sometimes it was just easier for her to communicate that way. Except, when he peeked inside he didn't just hear her thoughts, but saw memories she was pushing to the front of her mind. And he suddenly understood why both he and Dean were her so called 'favorites'. Like them, Karen had grown up following the orders given by her family without complaint but the big difference was she never felt love or companionship from them. Her family would not even accept her soul mate, because they were the one who had helped her understand that her family wasn't always right and that real affection was unconditional. He saw Karen moving herself out of their house in the middle of the night so when her family woke up the following morning she was already gone. He watched her soul mate help her move into an apartment and felt her soul lighten. Then the scenes changed to the one when Karen's hand had turned transparent for the first time and felt what she felt, like someone had been holding that very same hand.

I don't think I'm all here Cas. I think part of me is in my universe; that the bond is pulling me back.

Then perhaps you will not die after all. We should inform-

She shook her head. You can't tell them. I don't want them to get distracted, wondering if I'm alive or not. You guys have enough to deal with as it is.

Reluctantly, the angel agreed to keep quiet on the matter. After all, it may be the last thing she ever asked of him.

By the time week three of the third month since her arrival came around Karen was transparent enough that they could easily see anything behind her. To her frustration, she also couldn't move or really touch anything. It was nearly impossible to stay awake long enough to say goodbye to Dean and Sam before she completely faded but she did her best. Unfortunately, even though she wasn't unconscious her exhaustion was at the point where she had no clue what they were saying but the fact that Dean's eyes were watery told her more than any words could. Just before she closed her eyes Castiel appeared and spoke in her mind.

Should it be possible within your world, one of these rituals will provide you the path for you to completely visit this universe and assure us of your well-being.

Her last thought was to wonder if this was what a computer felt like when you downloaded something off the internet. And without her knowledge, two days later she had completely faded.

Beep!

What?

Beep!

What was that noise? She inwardly frowned in confusion.

Beep!

Ugh, forget that. What was that smell?

Beep!

Slowly, she started feeling her body again and nearly groaned as she tried to roll over. Why was it difficult to move?

Beep!

Oh fuck, she wasn't in a hospital was she?

Beep!

Wait, was someone holding her hand?

Beep!

She opened her eyes.

There were footsteps echoing in the room as someone rushed out.

She blinked, trying to focus on the figure holding her hand. Was that-?

The figure sleeping partially in the chair and bent forward on the bed stirred. "Karen?" She murmured sleepily, hazel staring into brown for a moment before widening in surprise.

Karen smiled as her soul mate hugged her. She was alive.

For those who might need the title explained, Karen was essentially on the right track. She traveled in her dream. But was it a dream or was it real?

Coming Soon?

I'm not really sure. Currently I'm focusing on a number of stories so it depends on which one I finish first. Just to give you an idea though, here's a list of what I'm working on.

The Gift of Knowing

Summary:

Castiel is still at the old folk's home, trying to decide what to do next when a woman arrives to visit Fred Jones. Inside his hand he felt the amulet suddenly grow hot. "Father?"

Fight the Power; Stick it to the Angels

Summary:

Sequel to "The Guardians, Wise and Bright." The team has assembled. Now all they need is to make a plan and kick some butt. Their main targets: Raphael, Zachariah, Lucifer and Michael

Quest for the Tablet

Summary:

Sequel to "The Ending that Never Came." The End verse. Dean, Cas and their angelic saviors have banded together with the intent of saving what's left of the world. The plan isn't quite solid and the journey is never easy but they still have hope.

Welcome Back to the Land of Oz

Summary:

Sequel to "The Dimensions of Dreams" Talk about being the last person Dean ever expected to visit him at Lisa's house. "So come on Dorothy, slip on your ruby slippers and let's hit this yellow-brick road."

The Second Generation: Greater than Angels (title may change in the future, I'm still toying with it)

Summary:

Sequel to "Cousins a Couple Times Removed" Season 7, Angels have never been the most powerful beings around. Neither are they the oldest. They are something even the Leviathans fear.