AN: I do not own the Supernatural characters. All rights belong to the CW and Eric Kripke. This is a slightly AU story rated for later chapters. Please Read and Review. This is my first Supernatural fic.
The first time Dean truly remembered seeing Cas was when he was 4 years old. He recognized the trench coated man the second he appeared.
"Cas!" Dean squealed as he ran over to his friend, wrapping his chubby little arms around the man's leg. Dean's cheek pressed against the outside of Cas' thigh as he squeezed with all his might. Cas smiled and gently patted the toddler's head.
Dean gazed at Cas in wonder as he stepped back. "I have a brother now Cas! His name's Sammy. Do you want to meet him?" Dean asked. The rest of Cas' brief visit was spent playing with army men on the floor with Dean and his baby brother. Dean had realized many years later that the sadness in Cas' eyes when he vanished was undoubtedly because he knew the boy's mother, Mary, would be dead within a matter of days.
Dean still missed his mother terribly. Of course, thinking about his mom brought on memories of his father. Dean tried to block most of those out. His dad had changed so much after Mary passed that Dean didn't recognize him. John died when Sam was 15, having killed his liver trying to drown Mary's memory. Dean didn't want to dwell on that now, though. It was 12:01 A.M. on October 22nd, his most favorite day of the year - the day Cas would visit. Dean shook his hands out trying to rid himself of the slight tremor he always seemed to get when Cas would show up. He wasn't shaking though. He thought to himself "You, Dean Winchester, are 24 and do not shake."
Dean heard Cas before he saw him. A high-pitched squeal always preceded the brightest, whitest light Dean had ever seen. As he heard it now, a content smile spread across his lips. The glow started from behind him. Dean closed his eyes and tilted his head back, as the warmth that accompanied Cas' arrival surrounded him.
A hand gently touched Dean's shoulder.
Dean whipped around and found himself staring into Cas' eyes. Those eyes always pinned him where he stood; a blue so deep the sea was jealous. It was probably a good thing that Dean seemed to be stuck to the Earth though, if he hadn't, he probably would've jumped into Cas' arms the second he had materialized. Dean loved Cas with all his heart. He knew this. He'd had plenty of girlfriends and had always been straight, but something about the strange man in the rumpled suit and backwards tie had always been the exception in his world.
"Hello Dean."
Our story begins almost 2 millennia before Dean Winchester would take his first breath. Even then, Castiel had been around for what would have seemed like forever. However, he really wasn't much different from you and me. He was loyal to his missions, loved his Father, his family, and his Father's favorite creation, Man. However, a Seraph like Castiel was a warrior fighting for the will of his Father, and as such, had never had an audience directly with Him. He thought of himself as a typical Angel. No emotions, no wants or needs, other than to serve Heaven. His existence just, was.
Castiel had been watching Isidorus lead the Egyptians in a revolt against the Roman ruler Marcus Aurelius. He always found human battles curious. As he watched, he felt a vibration in his Grace. One of the Host of Angels, Joshua, was calling to him; he was to meet with his Father at once. Castiel thought of Home, and with the faintest flutter of wings, he was in the Garden. This was his favorite place to receive revelation, the central nexus of Heaven. Joshua was there, of course. He led Castiel to a stone bench surrounded by trees, then nodded slightly as he left.
Castiel felt, as much as heard, his Father's voice. Not the booming voice from the sky you might expect, just a soft male voice, full of kindness.
"Castiel, my son," the voice said. "I have a very important mission for you."
Castiel said nothing. He just nodded quietly, waiting.
"First though, I would like you to see something, a human event that has not yet happened." The voice came closer, and took shape. It could be described as a bright white mist in the shape of a man, but with no discernable features.
The mist enveloped Castiel, and he felt a rushing sensation. They were suddenly peering in on a human scene. It was not like looking through a window, per se, more like looking though space-time. They were observing a simple apartment. It was clean, but nothing extravagant. Inside, a very tall man stood, smiling down at an infant girl in a basinet. The baby squirmed as the large man gently rested his hand on her stomach.
"That, my son, is Sam Winchester." The angel's Father explained.
The scene confused Cas. It was touching, but he was unsure what his Father wanted him to do with this information.
His Father whispered, "Patience my son."
Castiel steeled himself, and waited for the mystery to be revealed. Looking away from the child, the angel realized his existence was about to change forever. Walking toward the basinet was another man, but not just any man. Time seemed to slow down as Castiel watched him approach. This man surely had to be the most beautiful of all God's creations. He was above average height, but not as tall as Sam. His short, well-kept hair was light brown with highlights of blonde. His body was fit, but not overly muscular. If Castiel had needed to breath, he surely would've stopped when he looked into the man's eyes. They were the color of moss in a cool forest. Castiel had never seen eyes so deep or pure. The angel suddenly felt a number of sensations ripping through him that he didn't understand, and couldn't stop. He was unsure of what he was feeling, but the fact remained. He was feeling.
God's voice seeped into Castiel's being, "My son, this man is Sam's brother, and is very important. His daughter, the child you see there, will bring peace to this world. His journey to become the man you see before you though, will be a difficult one. If he strays from the path I have laid out for him, she will not be born. I want you to watch over him."
Castiel was unsure as a warrior what he could do to help, but his Father's will is absolute, so it would be done. God explained that He wished for Castiel to stay hidden from the human, and only intervene when absolutely necessary. The intent of his Father's will flowed through him.
For the first time since he came to the Garden, Castiel spoke. "Father what is this man's name?"
"Dean." Was the only reply.
The vision faded, and Castiel found himself alone in the Garden. Needing to settle his mind, the angel ventured to the largest canyon on Earth - it was his favorite place to reflect. Logically, he knew it would be more than 1700 years before Dean would be born. He thought over all his Father had said, and all he had felt. Castiel was terribly confused by the rush of what could only be emotions, no human had ever evoked those feelings in him before. The more he thought about Dean, the more the feelings grew and became part of his grace. Regardless of his angelic focus Castiel kept seeing Dean's face, his eyes. If he had been asked, Castiel wouldn't be able to say when the idea to visit Dean in the future was born, only that it had been.
As an Angel, Castiel knew he could travel through time. The simple mechanics of bending Space-time was familiar to all angels. However, the ability to control it precisely was easier for the stronger Arch Angels like his brother, Gabriel. The sheer desire to see Dean again became completely overwhelming for our young Seraphim. It soon became only a question of when he would go to see him, not if.
First thing was first. Being a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent, Castiel needed a vessel. The Angel focused all his grace to find a willing soul somewhere in the future. What he found was a man named Jimmy Novak. His child was grown and his wife had passed. He was alone, devout, and he agreed without hesitation. Once fully seated inside of Jimmy's body, Castiel looked in the mirror. He was in his mid-30's, but fit. Jimmy seemed to have a perpetual 5 o'clock shadow, and his dark hair seemed to have a mind of its own. His deep blue eyes narrowed with Castiel's scrutiny. He was a suitable vessel and easily contained the angel.
The next step was to find Dean. He knew when and where in the space-time continuum he wanted to go, he just needed to focus all his grace on getting to that point. As his focus tightened though, he felt the strangest sensation come over him. Warmth spread from inside his vessel throughout his whole body and being. Castiel stayed focused on Dean, but allowed himself to be caught up in the warm feeling as well, it was then, he leapt through time.
When Castiel's vision cleared he found himself in front of a dingy motel, the bright green eyes of a child peering through a window at him.
Dean was tired. He just wanted his brother to go to sleep. Sam knew this was the day that Cas always had shown up. "Why does he always have to ask so many questions?" Dean thought as he rubbed his hand over his face.
"Where is he anyway?" Sam asked.
"He'll be here, I promise." Dean replied softly. His brother may be a pest, but he was his pest, and Dean loved him.
"But, doesn't he usually get a whole day to spend with you?" Sam was, as usual, too smart for his own good.
"Yeah." Dean whispered as he stood to walk to the window.
Sam had started babbling on about something, Dean had stopped listening - lost in his own thoughts. Sam was right; Cas wasn't usually so late, it was already 9 o'clock at night. A bright flash caused Dean to look out the window. He turned and grabbed his jacket off of the dirty, old couch, and headed for the door.
"Wait?! Where are you going?" Sam questioned.
"Out." And a slam of the door was Dean's reply.
Dean really didn't mind sharing Cas' visits with Sam, but this year he just needed to be alone.
"Cas! You came!" Dean yelled as he jogged across the parking lot. "Castiel? You ok?" Dean added when his friend didn't respond.
Castiel tilted his head at the young boy, he felt, something. He knew this was Dean. However, he only looked to be about 12 years old. The angel was completely confused as to how this could be Dean, and how he knew his name, and what was a Cas? Castiel reached out with his Grace to feel the forces of the universe around him, and confirmed it was in fact 1990 anno domini, October 22nd to be exact.
"Cas?" Dean asked again, starting to worry about his friend.
Trying out his vessel's voice for the first time, Castiel spoke, "Wh-what is a Cas?" he found the voice to be rough and low, but not entirely unpleasant.
"Your name?" Dean incredulously informed his friend, his eyes wide. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yes, Dean." Cas pondered the boy. It seems he had given him a nickname; Castiel actually kind of liked it.
So many things were running through Dean's mind, he just wanted to talk to his friend. Cas was the only person he could talk to without being told to man up, or grow up. Cas just seemed so, out of it.
"It's late already Cas. How long are you gonna get to stay?" Dean asked.
Meanwhile, Castiel was piecing things together in his mind. It was obvious he had visited before. He knew he should probably try to go back to Heaven in order to figure out why he didn't jump to where he had intended. Just then a rush of fear gripped him. What if he had to save Dean at some point, and that was how the boy had found out he was watching. He figured it may be a good idea to stay for a while to see what information he could garner from Dean.
"How long did I stay last time Dean?" Castiel inquired.
"All day, like 24 hours. Like always Cas." Dean supplied.
They found a bench and talked for a couple of hours. Well, Dean talked. Cas, mostly just listened. It seemed that Dean thought Cas was just a man. Obviously, not a normal man, but not an angel either. Dean spoke of his father, the drinking, the moving around the country for work. Looking at him again, Cas could see Dean was tired. It was not just the fatigue showing in his body, his soul was weary as well. Castiel felt that was reprehensible for a 12 year old to be in that state. He gently questioned Dean about his previous visits and learned that every year on October 22nd he had visited Dean for as long as the boy could remember. Cas had appeared at different times during the day, but the visits had always lasted 24 hours. Cas then noticed Dean was shivering. He removed the trench coat Jimmy was wearing, and wrapped it around his shoulders. They continued to sit side by side staring forward at nothing in particular. When Dean suddenly begins to speak of his mother's death, Castiel unexpectedly feels immense sadness for the boy. He glances down to see a single tear rolling down Dean's cheek, as the boy leans his small frame against Cas' arm, not crying, just breathing shakily. The angel wishes to comfort the boy, but is unsure of what is appropriate.
Luckily, Dean saves him from his dilemma. He sniffs softly as he stands and looks back at Cas; the trench coat dwarfing his small form, "Cas, I'm sorry. Ya know, 'bout last time. I didn't mean it."
"You wanna say Hi to Sam?" Dean asked, glancing toward the motel, and then back to his friend, before Castiel had a chance to question what had happened before.
Cas nods and stands to place his hand gently on Dean's shoulder, giving silent reassurance to the boy.
After listening to Sam excitedly chatter on about school for an hour, it's apparent that both boys are in need of rest. Castiel insists that both Sam and Dean retire to bed. Reluctantly, Dean climbed on the bed next to his brother.
As Dean lay back on the bed with the trench coat draped over him, he reaches for Cas' arm. "You won't leave, right?"
"I will watch over you." Cas soothes as he pulls the coat closer to Dean's neck.
As Dean and Sam drift off, Cas wonders about their lives and what the future holds for them, for all of them.
Around three in the morning John Winchester arrives at the motel, obviously drunk. Castiel quickly exchanges a blanket for his coat, and hides by keeping himself just out of phase with their world. It takes all the young Angel has to keep from slamming this man into a wall to show him the error of his ways. When John passes out on the bed next to the boys, Castiel takes his leave from the motel room.
Later that morning Dean wakes up to find a blanket covering him, and his dad passed out in the bed. Just as he starts to get angry at his father, he looks out the window to see Cas standing in the parking lot. Dean cleans up as quietly and quickly as he can, running outside as soon as he's done; his face practically split in two by his huge smile. The rest of the visit is quiet. John leaves around three in the afternoon supposedly for a job, and since it is Saturday there is no school. Cas spends the day being amazed by Sam's intelligence, and Dean's kindness. For the first time he can recall, he smiles.
As the 24 hour mark approaches Castiel figures the best course of action is to keep with what he learned from Dean. In trying to decide when to jump to Cas determines that the best course of action is to try again for the future date.
"It is time for me to go, Dean." Castiel says, while he and Dean watch Sam act out something that happened at school.
"Do you have to? I mean, can't you just stay?" Dean winces at how like a girl he sounds. He thinks his Dad would kick his butt.
"I'm afraid I must." Cas lowers his head, truly he wants nothing more than to stay and watch Dean grow.
"Will you come back next year?" Dean requested hopefully.
"I would like nothing more, Dean, but I cannot be sure." Cas smiles.
"Ok. As long as you try, I guess." Dean shrugs. They hadn't discussed the mechanics of how Cas was able to visit him. He didn't believe the boy would understand.
"I will try." And Cas means it, but knows there is much he needs to figure out before he could promise his return.
"Bye, Cas." Sam waves from the bed his nose stuck in a book. Dean just rolls his eyes.
"See you soon." Dean says. As almost an afterthought Dean wraps his arms around Cas' middle in a hug that was over before it began.
Cas tilts his head as he focuses his grace on the future Dean his Father had showed him. The warmth from before starts to envelop him, and a small smile plays on his lips as he fades from view in a flash of warm, white light.