One early morning in mid April, Castiel discovered a way he could repay the Winchesters.
He'd just returned to Bobby's house after a ghost hunt in New Hampshire when he found Sam at Bobby's desk studying a book intensely. Dean was still asleep on the floor, but it was clear Sam had been up for a while.
"What are you doing?" Castiel inquired curiously.
Sam glanced up from his book and sighed. "We never did tell you; did we?"
"About what?" Castiel asked with concern.
"When we haven't been busy Dean and I have been searching for a way to free Adam from the cage," Sam explained. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it just never came up."
Castiel nodded. "No need to apologize, Sam. We have all been busy. Have you found anything that may help you rescue your brother?"
Sam shook his head sadly. "Nothing. Not that I ever really expected to find what we needed in a book. We need the help of someone powerful like Death. Unfortunately, he refuses to do for Adam what he did for me."
"I wish I could help," Castiel murmured. "I'm not much use right now to aid you in this matter, but I promise you if Adam has not been saved by the time I get my powers back, I will raise him from perdition myself."
"I don't want to bring up any touchy memories," Sam said regretfully, "But wasn't it hard enough to get me out of there? You couldn't even bring me back in one piece. How is it going to be any different with Adam?"
"I will bring help," Castiel answered. "I am sure that Sofiel will volunteer once I bring up the subject. She is quite fond of you and Dean now. And I will immediately search Adam to make sure his soul is intact when I arrive with him on Earth."
"Will you be able to put a wall up in his mind or erase his memories too?" Sam questioned.
Castiel bowed his head. "Unfortunately, no. Angels can erase Earth memories and Heaven memories but it is tricky, and we most certainly cannot erase memories of Hell that have scarred a soul, or else I'd have done so for you and Dean long ago. As for putting up a wall in a mind strong enough to last a while, besides God, only Death has that ability, to my knowledge."
"So Adam will have to deal with the effects of what Lucifer put him through immediately?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Castiel said. "And that is why I have to warn you that if you still want me to raise Adam when the time comes, there will be many complications. You are lucky that all you have from Hell are nightmares and bouts of confusion. Adam has been down there almost two Earth years longer than you and I doubt that he has such a strong will. It is quite possible that he will suffer terribly and die not long after his revival."
"We have to try," Sam told him. "We can't allow Lucifer to torture him for eternity. At least if he dies again he will return to Heaven instead of the Cage."
Castiel nodded. "That is reasonable. I just wanted to make sure you understood that for Adam, it will be a lot worse."
Sam closed his eyes, and Castiel was about to say that he would do anything to be able to heal Adam's soul for them when Bobby stomped into the room.
"Dean, wake up!" he yelled.
Dean bolted up into a sit, startled. "What is it?"
"I just got a call from Judy, a hunter who lives out in Missouri," Bobby began. "She's one of the hunters I'd informed about Crowley a while back. Anyways, her cousin was interrogating a demon down in Oklahoma the other day and he managed to get it to tip Crowley's location before he exorcised it. He called Judy as soon as he could get to a phone and then she called me."
"Where is he?" Sam inquired.
"New Jersey," Bobby replied.
A/N: Things are about to get action packed. :D
