'Dean, Dean, Dean! I'm going to have to put you on a leash!' Jimmy chuckled, rocking slightly on the padded floor, burying his face in Castiel's knees.

'Hey, Castiel,' Nurse Foreman greeted whilst slowly opening the door to his cell.

Jimmy's head snapped up, his eyes becoming slits. 'Where's Sam?'

The nurse didn't reply, kneeling down in front of the patient and shining a torch in each of his eyes. Jimmy flinched back, blindly throwing his fists around, praying to make contact with supple flesh.

'Where's Sam?!' the patient demanded.

'Sam's visiting someone.'

Jimmy's eyes narrowed and he tensed up, letting the nurse continue her check.

'Is he bored of Castiel?'

Nurse Foreman paused and looked up into her patient's eyes. 'You're Castiel.'

Jimmy gasped and suddenly his body shook, Jimmy withdrawing into Castiel's mind. 'I'm Castiel?'

The nurse nodded and smiled, patting his cheek lightly before getting up and leaving the cell. Cas' head lolled back and he hit the ground, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Sam approached the smooth oak door and knocked on it twice, pulling out his notebook and identification. It took a few moments for the man in Cas' drawing to answer. A small smirk was on his face when the door swung open and his tie was loose.

'Hello?' Dean asked, looking the doctor up and down, assessing him with a confused expression.

'Dean Smith?' Sam asked, extending his free hand for Dean to cautiously shake. 'My name is Sam Wesson, I'm in charge of Castiel Novak's case.'

Dean's eyes widened and he stepped back slightly. 'Cas…' he gasped, 'Cas is… Cas is dead?'

Sam's brow furrowed as he clarified. 'No, Mr Smith, I'm Castiel's doctor. He's currently at Danvers State Hospital.'

Dean looked bewildered. 'The… the… ya know…' Dean whispered, making a circular motion next to the side of his head with his finger. 'The… for the crazies?'

Sam smiled a smile devoid of joy or mirth. 'That's a rather unethical way of putting it. But he's there seeking treatment for a number of disorders.'

'And what's that gotta do with me?'

The doctor's eyes shone as he looked at the shorter man. 'Mr Smith, I'm going to have to ask if I can come in to discuss this further.'

Dean hesitated for a moment, pursing his lips, before he opened the door wider and stepped aside.

'You have a lovely home,' Sam commented.

'Uh, thanks, but… enough with the pleasantries.'

'As you wish,' Sam said, moving into what he assumed to be the living area. 'Do you live with anyone currently?'

'No. No, not since… not since Cas.' Dean wiped his hands nervously on his suit trousers. He sighed a small, humourless chuckle and took a seat in one of the two armchairs. Sam soon followed suit. 'We went to college together and, uh… we just clicked, I guess. Straight out of college we moved in together and then… well, it was amazing. He was amazing. But I fucked up, I guess.'

'How so?' Sam asked. His eyebrows rose as he jotted down Dean's comments.

Dean rubbed a hand over his tired face. 'Just… it was my sister's birthday and Cas couldn't go, said he was ill or something. He'd been depressed before so I thought he meant that. I nearly stayed home with him to make sure he didn't do anything but… he forced me out.

'Anyway, I got there and, uh, there were a lot of hot girls… and I did miss girls, ya know? I mean, I fucking loved Cas with everything but…' Dean gestured, finishing the sentence. 'I cheated on him. I was drunk as hell, too. He found out because Jo thought he deserved to know the truth and… he told me to get out, didn't matter that I still loved him, that I didn't know what I'd do without him… and I never saw him… never saw him again.'

The pain in Dean's eyes was raw and Sam almost pitied him.

'Sorry, who's Jo?'

'Oh, that's my sister. Yeah. I told her what I did and she… she wouldn't let me keep it from him.'

Sam nodded as he continued to scribble on the notepad.

Dean cleared his throat. 'So, uh, do you want some coffee or somethin'?'

'That would be great, thanks.'

'Lemme guess, you're the kind that take loads of cream and a shit ton of sugar?'

Sam smiled and ducked his head. 'How did you know?'

'Eh… you just look the type,' Dean explained, making his way to the kitchen.

'What do you mean I 'look the type'?' Sam called after him. Dean simply laughed and the sound was followed by the clatter of china and spoons. Sam tapped his pen against the pad in a consistent rhythm as he waited, his eyes scanning the room and evaluating. His gaze eventually landed on a photograph on the mantelpiece. After a sharp intake of breath he lunged forward and grabbed it, bringing it close to his face.

'You okay there, man?' Dean asked, voice suddenly behind the doctor. Sam's head snapped up and he almost dropped the frame.

'Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good… when was this taken?'

Dean racked his brain. 'Well… that's me 'n Cas when we met… must've been about… nine years ago?'

'I was there! That's where I knew you from!'

'Pardon?' Dean placed the two mugs of coffee on the side table and scanned over the photograph himself.

'I recognised your face when Castiel drew it.'

'Castiel… drew me? Why?' Dean's eyebrows mashed together and he looked at Sam for answers.

'I have a lot of explaining to do, Mr Smith. But first I must ask… was this Duncan and Barnes' party?'

'Yeah! Yeah. Where me 'n Cas met. You were there?'

'Yeah, pretty sure.'

'Huh. I was nineteen then.'

'I was twenty six.'

'And… why were you at a college frat party?'

'Anyone can go to college, Dean.'

'Yeah, but, this was like… how to put this nicely… it was uncool of you to be there.'

'Hey!'

Dean bit back a laugh before guiding Sam back to the chairs and getting back on topic. 'So you said… you said Cas drew me?'

Sam gulped down a sip of coffee before turning to face Dean in the chair. 'Castiel has been at the hospital for five years. He has been emotionally and mentally unstable for that time. Do you know why he was admitted?'

Dean shook his head slowly, taking a generous swig from his own mug.

'Castiel murdered his brother Balthazar.'

Dean spluttered and coughed. 'What?' he asked, voice hoarse.

'On the night of the incident, Castiel was raped by a man he said was named Crowley. He was in a bad emotional state and we think his schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder is to blame for his brother's murder.'

'Wait- schizophrenia? Multiple what?'

'Would you like me to name all of Castiel's disorders?'

'Uh, no, no, I just… I never realised he…'

'It only became evident he was unstable when he was placed in jail.'

'Cas has been to jail? Fuck,' Dean cursed, running a hand through his short hair.

'I take it you lost touch?'

'Well, yeah. After I told him… he didn't want anything to do with me. He told me to get lost and I did, thinking he needed to cool off for a little while or something, but when I went back to the house a couple of weeks later he was just… gone.'

'I'm sorry you lost him.'

'Nah, don't worry. I fuckin' deserved it. I should never have… Well, anyway, he… he killed Balthazar?'

'Yes. But, as I said before, the emotional trauma of the rape brought on his schizophrenia, we believe. He doesn't remember killing his brother. His schizophrenia is still a problem, he punishes himself a lot, gets lost within himself. He's a very troubling case… but intriguing.'

'Hey! Cas isn't a fucking scientific project, he's a person!'

'I know that, of course I know that, but, from a medical point of view, he's a very complex and interesting case.'

Dean nodded slowly and lowered his head. 'Is he still thin?'

'He suffers from anorexia nervosa, yes.'

'He was thin when I knew him. Couldn't get him to eat a damn thing most nights.'

'That's still a problem for us at the hospital. We mostly have to rely on supplements. I'm happy to say he seems to be improving now that I've taken over his case, however.'

Dean's face was etched with grief and he scratched the back of his neck. 'Shit… so… if you don't mind me asking, where do I come into play?'

Sam ducked his head and pocketed his notepad, staring at Dean. 'Castiel has hallucinations. Sometimes we can't draw him back from the dream world he's created. You and I are part of the hallucination. You're a constant, however. Castiel interacts with the hallucination based on your image the most, is comforted by it and also scared by it. I asked him to draw what the vision looked like, he mentioned the name Dean a lot and also a Sam character who Castiel describes as looking like a younger version of me. After he presented me with the drawing I scanned it and… I found you. I assumed you were a past lover.'

Dean reddened slightly but ultimately punched the armrest and violently sat back in the chair. 'Shit. I can't believe… Oh my god.'

'Dean, may I ask when you and Castiel broke up?'

'Uh… it was when we were twenty three. That's when it happened. Probably just before the… the murder.'

'Your relationship with Castiel sounded serious.'

'It was… hell, we were even thinking about next stage stuff. I can't believe I fucked up that bad.'

'I believe that after Castiel fled your shared home, he went to live with his brother.'

'Yeah, he probably did. They were pretty close.'

Sam nodded slowly and looked down again. 'Listen, Dean, I didn't just come here to inform you of Castiel's mental state, nor just to find out more of Castiel's past from a different source.'

'Oh?'

'Dean… I wonder if you'd object to visiting the hospital at some point in the near future. It could be incredibly beneficial to Castiel's recovery.'

Dean sucked in a gasp and visibly slumped in the chair. 'I don't know… He fucking hated me the last time I saw him.'

'I understand. But Castiel seems to have blocked out a lot of his past. We don't know how he'd react in all honesty. He could react violently and that could be due to Jimmy, his other personality. Or he could respond positively and come one step closer to better health. We just don't know. But, Mr Smith, we'd like to take the chance.'

'Of course… Well… Okay. If it means Cas can get back on his feet… I'll do it.'

'Thank you so much.'

'Ah, don't worry about it, Princess.'

Sam chuckled and leaned forward, clasping Dean's shoulder. 'Could I take your contact details so we could arrange a day for you to visit?'

'Uh, sure.'

'You can't come now, simply because we want to make sure Castiel's ready. He's been troubled of late and we don't want to shock him with your appearance.' Sam tapped his shoulder before letting go. He scanned Dean's face. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm… I'm good. S'just the… the thought of seeing him again… fuck. Okay, well, thanks, I guess.'

Sam smiled warmly before standing up and shaking Dean's hand. The shorter man showed him to the door and handed him a business card with his details on.

'Sandover?' Sam asked, flicking his eyes over the smart piece of card.

'Yeah, that's where I work. Boring as hell but the pay's amazing.'

'I used to be a techie there.'

'No way! You're a big shot doctor man, there's no way you were a friggin' techie.'

'Yep, it happened. I kinda quit by… hitting my computer with a golf club… multiple times.'

'No. Fucking. Way. You're the Sam Wesson? People still talk about your dramatic exit, dude. Well, good to meet ya.'

Sam laughed and inclined his head slightly, making his way down the porch steps. 'I'll be in touch.'

'Sure. Oh, by the way, dye or cut your hair or some shit, Rapunzel.' Dean shut the door, leaving Sam grinning yet self-consciously stroking a hand through his hair. Sam could understand why Castiel had shared his life with the other man, why Castiel had clung onto his memory. It made the doctor ache even more for his patient that he'd been broken so many times.

Sorry that I made Sam older than Dean. It was kinda necessary. He's still the younger one in Castiel's dream universe. But yeah, Dean and Castiel are both 28 while Sam is 35.