The second Cas appeared in the cavern, he felt the cold, sharp point of a blade pressed up against his back as a hand gripped his shoulder. "Who are you?" A hard voice hissed. It was definitely female, but muffled by something – a mask, perhaps.

"I need to see Ra's Al Ghul," Cas replied calmly. It wasn't as though she could actually hurt him. The blade dug into his back slightly. "Immediately."

"What business do you have with Ra's?" Now that he heard it again, he caught the faintest trace of an accent hidden in her voice. Before he could respond another voice interrupted.

"Shiva? What are you doing?" This voice was to Cas' left and it was far more authoritative than the other woman's but there was a softer edge to it. Motherly was the only way Cas could describe it. Cas turned to voice and was met with the silhouette of a woman standing in a dimly lit doorway. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at him. "Castiel?"

He had vague memories of being down here once. But those had been torn to shreds by Naomi, every time she drilled into his head and wiped it clean. And then it came to him. A memory of a small girl with bright eyes staring up at him with her tiny hand clutching his.

A name flashed through his mind and, before he had the chance to comprehend it, was echoing through the room. "Talia."

"It is you." He could almost hear the smile in her voice. Her head snapped towards Shiva. "Release him," she barked.

The blade was lowered, followed by an almost begrudging, "Yes, Lady Talia."

Talia turned her attention back to Cas. "My father is expecting you." She turned on her heel." This way."

She led him down the winding corridors, lit by burning torches scattered along the walls. Eventually, the corridor opened out into a huge room. There were two rows of large, marble pillars running along either side of the opening. Talia strode forward, pushing past a pair of armed guard. Cas attempted to follow, but the guards crossed their weapons in front of him. "Let him through."

That… wasn't Talia.

An older man appeared through a gap in between two columns. The guards' weapons almost instantly fell to their sides and they both dropped to one knee. "Castiel," the man greeted, nodding curtly.

"Ra's," Cas replied.

"What do you want, Castiel?" The corner of Cas's lip quirked up at the sharpness of his voice – Ra's had never been one to mince words. It was comforting to know that somethings never change.

"I need to use the Lazarus Pit." Ra's stiffened and Cas felt an uneasy apprehension wash over him.

"For the boy, I assume," Ra's said. "The infamous second Robin. If memory serves, he was murdered."

"How did you…" Ra's shot him the closest thing to a smile that Cas had ever seen from Ra's.

"Even if I allow you to use the Pit, there's no guarantee that he'll even survive the process. The restoration of his higher brain functions alone could kill him. The memories of his death would tear his mind to pieces."

"But, with Sam-"

"Sam wasn't in possession of his soul when you brought him to me. It was still in the Cage with Lucifer and Michael. When he was healed, he had no memory of even being trapped there. He doesn't even remember being brought here. It almost killed him when his soul was returned."

"Jason was obviously brought back for a reason," Cas tried. He had to help Jason, for Dean's sake at least.

"I know," Ra's sighed, somewhat tiredly. "But that reason has not yet come to light. This boy could very well bring about some great evil if he falls into the wrong hands. I will not risk the planet for the sake of a boy."

Cas thought for a moment. "What if I could guarantee that Jason would be protected?"

"I might consider it." Cas felt slightly more optimistic at that. "And I assume you will be keeping him with the Winchesters. They would make excellent guardians. But you would have to keep me updated on the boy's state."

"Of course."

"Then," Ra's said. Cas could have sworn that there was a smile on Ra's face as he turned. "I will allow you to use my Lazarus Pit."

"Thank you."

It had been a couple of hours since Cas had left and Sam had finally managed to fall asleep, sprawled out over an armchair. Sam let out a yelp when Cas appeared behind him, crashing to the ground. The commotion woke Jason up and the look of pure panic in his eyes was reminiscent of a deer caught in headlights. "S'okay, Jason. I'm okay," Sam said, pulling himself to his feet. Jason didn't look too convinced so he held his arms out. "Look. I'm okay. Really."

Cas cleared his throat. "Where is Dean?"

"In his room." As if on cue, Dean stumbled out of his room.

"Morning, Sammy. Hey, Cas," he yawned. Jason tilted his head to the side as he stared at Dean and he chuckled. "Good morning to you too, Zombie."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Jason's face. Dean carried on into the kitchen and, surprisingly, Jason got up and followed him. After a couple of minutes, Dean emerged carrying a mug and a bowl with Jason trailing closely behind. He set the bowl down at the table and pulled the chair out for Jason. "Come on, kid. You must be starving."

Jason visibly hesitated before deciding that his hunger outweighed his apprehension. They all stood in silence whilst Jason wolfed down his cereal and Dean gulped down his coffee. Cas spoke up once they had both finished. "I need to take Jason."

Dean looked like he was going to argue before stopping himself. "Okay," he sighed. "You had better bring him back safe and sound."

Cas nodded sternly. "Of course. You have my word."

Dean knelt down beside Jason, who was staring blankly into his bowl. "Hey," he whispered. Jason glanced up at him. "Cas is gonna take you somewhere special. You're gonna be fixed right up." Jason's eyes widened briefly and there was a flicker of something in them – fear? Excitement? "But no one's gonna make you, 'kay? You don't have to go if you don't want to."

There was a slight pause before Jason nodded faintly and Dean grinned at him. Cas stepped forward and reached out for Jason's hand. "I will take him back to the bunker when it is done." Jason took Cas's hand and they both disappeared.

They both appeared in the cavernous room. The guards jumped to attention, surrounding them. "At ease," Ra's steeled. He turned and strode towards the end of the room, where two huge, wooden doors towered over them. The guards at the doors swung them open and a sickly green light fell through the opening. Fragile rock points loomed over the Pit.

Ra's walked over to the edge and Cas followed him. Jason was torn away from Cas and, with a pained yelp, was tossed into the liquid. "What are you doing?" Cas yelled.

"Do you really think the boy would have gone in willingly?" Cas remained silent, turning his gaze where Jason had been thrown in. For a while, nothing happened.

A few bubbles broke the surface of the water. It quickly grew more intense, and Ra's and Talia had to step back to avoid being splashed. A pained shriek filled the tense silence as Jason burst through the surface of the water, dripping wet and panting. An ivory streak of hair now hung limply across his forehead and his eyes were a burning, vivid shade of green. They darted around the room before locking onto them. Cas really didn't like the glint in them.

Jason let out a loud scream and lunged for them. Talia and Cas managed to dive out of his way. Ra's wasn't as fortunate. Jason managed to pin him to the ground with both hands wrapped around his throat. Cas and Talia tried to pry Jason off but he wasn't budging. Cas tapped two fingers against Jason's forehead and he collapsed on top of Ra's. Cas scooped Jason up whilst Talia help her father to his feet.

"Keep him out for at least a week," Talia explained. "His mind needs time to heal. Don't put too much stress on him when he wakes up, it could cause his mind to shut down."

"I understand," Cas said, turning towards Ra's, who was staring at Jason with concern. "Thank you."