A/N:

It's been a long ride, but here we are! Many thanks to all you who left nice reviews! They make my day and I cheer up every time I get a notification from fanfiction! Thanks to ANerdWhoWrites, goldacharmed, Kajensen07, Shattered-Eclipse Ash, Christine, devlady, EuKnighted, greyscape08, Forest Unknown and slcraig01! This story wouldn't be here without the support from all you readers!

And now, the end of Season 2 Brothers Apart-

Before Celeste could snatch Sam away and leave Dean, Bobby and Rufus to rot as Dean grew ever larger, the roof shook under a heavy weight. She glanced up, caught off guard like everyone else.

Dean could only manage a grimace under the pain, his mind fractured in a thousand directions. Yet even in that state, something said to him that what was happening outside was wrong. No bird would sound like that when it landed, not the heaviest turkey vulture as it sought a place to roost for the night. Whatever was out there had all the subtlety of a train wreck.

"Interfering children," Celeste hissed under her breath. She shoved a hand out, hitting Dean with a telekinetic shove as she grabbed at the cage.

The door of the cabin slammed open before she could get Sam into her grasp, the lights in the room flickering before they went out with a crackle of sparks. All that lit up the room was the illumination that leaked over from the open door of the kitchen, and the lightning from outside.

The silhouette in the doorway didn't look particularly intimidating to Dean's pain-mussed brain, but his perspective was skewed by the fact that everyone looked like a doll. Celeste was tiny, Sam's cage was approaching the point where he wouldn't be able to see it, and John was a crumpled ragdoll that for a fleeting moment, Dean was convinced he could just stand up and make walk again.

Before he could try this futile gesture to bring his dad back, the figure at the door threw out a hand, and the pressure against Dean snapped, releasing him to slump against the ground. Blessedly, the pain from his expanding bones evaporated, leaving him with a numb sensation covering him from head to foot. Like he should be in pain still, but wasn't.

It made the scene he was watching make a little more sense, but not by much.

"Sister!" the stranger shouted, his gravelly voice filling the air as he stormed over the open threshold of the cabin. The wind slammed the door shut after him, wet droplets of water clinging to the ruffled brown hair and glistening against the long flaps of the trench coat he wore. The clearest blue eyes Dean had ever seen stared across the cabin. There was no ice to be found in those eyes, so different than the way Celeste looked at them all.

He didn't look like he belonged in the middle of a storm sent by God, in a forgotten forest with a hidden cabin picked out by Rufus for its obscurity. He looked like he should be sitting in an office, ready to prepare some poor sap's taxes.

Celeste snarled, her blue eyes dangerously angry. "You presume much to interfere with me on your own, Castiel!" she snapped, tense and coiled like a sharp spring ready to snap.

Castiel, if that was his name, frowned. It was such a subdued response to the venom in her voice, Dean wondered if he'd imagined it. Celeste looked like she was ready to lash out at everyone in the room while Castiel simply frowned and spoke out in a clear, steady voice.

"Do you think I came alone, sister?" he asked her severely. "You have overstepped your bounds, and it is time to answer for your crimes."

Celeste let out a peal of laughter, combining with the thunder in the air. "Fools! No one can stop me now! You've waited too long."

She snapped out a hand, and though Dean flinched, expecting another hammer of pressure, this time it was directed at Castiel.

Her power broke over him like the tide against a formation of rocks. Castiel's hair was ruffled and his trenchcoat waved as though in a strong breeze, but he gave no other indication it affected him. "Saraqael," he spoke again, no inflection in his voice showing that he'd been attacked in the first place. "Cease this foolishness and come with me. It is long since time for you to answer for your crimes. You have used up most of your power."

Celeste lowered her hand, glaring daggers at the man. "I won't be stopped by you, little brother," she growled, her voice deeper than ever before.

This time, it was Castiel who went on the attack. With motions too fast to follow and yet so restrained he might as well be fighting as water, Castiel struck out with a long, silver dagger that fell out of his sleeve as though summoned.

Shrieking her contempt, Celeste whirled in a motion to dodge, her black garments flying up around her and disguising where her body was. Each attack he made, she blocked with nothing more than her clothing. It was as though they were dancing, one always where the other was not. They flowed around each other, gracefully acting as one even as Castiel struck at her again and again.

"I will not forget, Castiel!"

Her eyes shone a bright, electric blue, slowly overcome by pure light, and her form wavered in place. Dean could have sworn he saw wings over her shoulders, the wings of a bird who'd gone through a fight, tattered and torn. Even as he watched, one of the shadowy feathers fell from the invisible limbs.

And then she was gone.

Castiel stood, watching where the so-called 'witch' had vanished for a few, long seconds, his focus turned inwards. Then he turned to Dean, his brow furrowing in a pantomime of concern. "I am sorry," he apologized as he reached out and put a hand on Dean's forehead. "We have searched for her for many years, but tonight was the first time she used her full powers since the night of the Fall."

Dean gasped as contact was made with his head. Castiel's hand was small enough that it would only cover one of his eyebrows, but a cool splash hit him with the contact. Running down his body like someone had cracked an egg over his forehead, the blessed ice numbed all the sore muscles and bruises. A disorienting breeze hit, and then Dean was looking up at Castiel.

Scrambling to his feet, Dean realized that he was back to his regular size, all the aches and pains of the battle and the remnants of previous battles washed away by the tide of ice. He took a deep breath, shocked to feel no pain whatsoever when he did so. "H-how?" Though his body was healed, his throat was dry and his voice rasped.

Castiel blinked. "Uriel will find Saraqael before she gets too far away," he reassured Dean, completely ignoring the question.

"That's not what I asked," Dean said insistently as he got heavily to his feet. Not as heavy as he'd been moments ago, but his boots felt full of lead. "How did you stop her? "

Castiel's eyes tightened in a squint that made Dean feel like those clear blue eyes were taking him apart, molecule by molecule. "My sister has power, but she has squandered much of it. The more she spreads her Grace, the easier we can track her. Now that she revealed herself by attacking you, we will be able to find her again." Castiel's lips tightened before going on, "I would wish that we had found her before her plans progressed to this point, but such was not the will of my Father."

"Your sister?"

Between one blink and the next, Castiel was gone.

"Son of a bitch! "

Hours later, Bobby stood back from the funeral pyre, his arms behind his back. A bandage around his head hid the injury he'd sustained during the fight. The hospital said he had a concussion, but it was getting better. He wasn't allowed to be alone now, to make sure he didn't slip into a sleep he'd never wake up from, but that was okay. He had Walt at his side to keep an eye out.

Those first few minutes after the strange man named Castiel took his leave of them, Dean had ignored Bobby, Walt and Rufus. He was focused on one thing, and one thing alone. Not even his father's corpse could deter him from his mission.

Bobby could remember Dean stalking over to the table and getting Sam's cage into his hands. The look on that boy's face as he stared at his trapped brother was heartbreaking, and it was only a minute before Dean had tracked down wire cutters amongst the clutter in the cabin. Sam collapsed into Dean's hand, shaken from his time in the trap, unable to help anyone.

Or himself.

Dean crushed the cage under the heel of his boot.

The Lord only knew what had become of Bela during the pandemonium. The British chick was gone before Azazel's death, likely scampered off as soon as they were distracted. They really should have tied her down, but it was too late now. The tracks of her car made it to the main road, and the trail ended there, any other signs washed away by the freak thunderstorm.

Speaking of storms, the thunder and rain had died off quickly after the fight ended. With Castiel's unexpected exodus, one last BOOM was heard across the land. As though that was a signal, the rain shortly tapered off, leaving only dripping leaves and muddy puddles to await the hunters.

Bobby found Walt on the floor next to John's lifeless body, the small man standing vigil over the fallen hunter. Bobby had heard rumors of their first meeting, but now he saw a respect in Walt's eyes for the father of the boys he'd adopted. Walt and John never got to see things from the same perspective, but they'd put those differences aside and worked together for the brothers. It was truly a pity they never had the chance to get to know each other in better times.

The Colt wasn't far from Walt. Bobby frowned at the gun as he plucked it from the ground. It had done its job on the demon, but failed John in the end for reasons Bobby didn't understand.

He hated the feeling that he was missing a piece of the puzzle.

Of Celeste…

Bobby had caught that glimpse of her as she vanished, dark wings over her head. That, combined with her true name-

-Saraqael, a gravelly voice whispered-

-left Bobby with thoughts that wouldn't leave. Thoughts that went down a path he didn't want to consider. But he'd found that fallen feather, a wisp of shadow and light that thrummed with a power all its own. A feather that was there yet not.

If what he thought was true, they were in over their heads.

Rufus had merely been knocked unconscious when he was thrown clear of the room, and came out of it bitching and grumbling about the mess they'd made out of his cabin. He was back there now, trying to fix it back up. One chair was broken by Dean during the growth spell, and several shelves the elder Winchester brother had never noticed behind his broad back had collapsed, but other than that, the supports for the cabin were intact, and the damage superficial. It could have been so much worse.

For Rufus, at least.

Flames began to lick into the air as Bobby watched. On his shoulder, the man named Walt Watch, the kid he'd rescued so many years back he could hardly believe it, stood watching. Walt didn't talk much, but he'd grown wise in his years of raising a Winchester. He knew when it was time to talk, and when it was time to watch.

A dozen feet away, standing vigil at the pyre of their father, Sam and Dean watched the fire consume their father's corpse. A ritual salt and burn was done at the funeral of any hunter, to prevent them from becoming the very thing they hunted.

John Winchester would want it that way. His fate would not mirror Mary's, trapped on earth until someone sought her release.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Walt asked softly, Bobby only just able to hear him by dint of having the man on his shoulder.

With a world-weary sigh, Bobby nodded. Neither brother reacted to Bobby or Walt, at attention. "I think they'll be fine," he said, the confidence in his words not matching his worried voice. Walt picked up on that concern, but chose not to comment on it. "Those boys have been through more in the last ten years than most people go through their entire lives."

"And this… Castiel. What of him?"

Bobby had no answer. He'd only seen some of that part of the fight, slipping in and out of consciousness the entire time. It was a miracle he'd recovered at all.

"We'll just have to wait and see."

As the fire began to die down and Bobby considered turning in, a sound cut through the solemn gathering. Dean gave a start, one hand diving into his pocket and pulling out his phone. The guitar chord came again, and he glanced back at Bobby and Walt before answering it, taking a few steps from them for privacy. He held out the phone, turning it to speaker for Sam to be able to participate in the conversation, a move that instantly aroused Bobby's suspicions. He couldn't hear what words were being exchanged, but so far as he knew, Sam didn't talk to many people outside their circle.

They didn't have long to wait before Dean was striding their way, determination replacing the morose expression both brothers had been stricken with since the death of their father.

"There's a case," Dean said without preamble. "I need to hit the road now, you think you can finish this up?"

Bobby looked deep into Dean's eyes, and slowly nodded. Dean trusted Bobby to take care of the funeral pyre for them, and put their father to rest. There was a fire in Dean's eyes, and Bobby pitied the fool that got in that man's way. "Don't forget to write," he said, the serious tone in his voice belying the joking words.

Dean held out a hand, and Bobby pulled him into a hug. The young hunter stiffened, but didn't pull back.

"Be careful out there," Walt called over to Sam, holding tight to Bobby's collar. It was all he or Sam could do to stay on their odd perches, but both humans were conscientious of their passengers.

"We will," Sam promised.

Bobby let Dean go, freeing him from the hug. Before stepping back, Dean reached at Walt and nudged the man lightly in the shoulder, one of the few ways Dean dared interact with people so small. Instead of the fear and nerves Dean might once have received in turn, Walt slapped a hand against the finger twice, trying to imitate a motion he'd seen other humans do and Sam had done with him. Patting them on the back, or some such craziness.

Dean and Bobby stepped back from each other. "What's the case?" Bobby asked.

Dean cocked his head, hands in his pockets. "SOS from a friend," he said. "Sounds like some serious trouble hit Wellwood since we were there, but they don't know what's causing it. It's time to hit the road. I'll text you if we need help."

Bobby and Walt watched the Winchester boys leave, the funeral pyre behind them burning down to an ember.

A hunter's work was never over.

A comforting roar sounded through the fields around Bobby's house as Dean turned the key in the Impala, and her rumble lead the way down the road to a new case.

FIN

A/N

I TOLD you guys that Cas was caught up in main storyline things! He has made his advent into BA!

Season 2 has ended! Make sure to drop me a message and tell me how you enjoyed it! We've come a long way since this season began with The Schism of Fire and Water, following Sam's adventures when he discovers the borrowers at Bobby's house in Adventures At Bobby's. We even visited Wellwood and made some new lifelong friends in A Lich of Sense! And all of this came before the heart-wrenching reveals and deep development for Sam and Dean in the later stories.

Thank you all for coming! Season 3 is under construction and will begin with another adventure into Wellwood, where things are not as the brothers left them! Not to mention all the other storylines! Jacob and Chase will be dragged into other AUs, and maybe even Bobby Loran! And of course John and Sherlock have a lot to figure out with their tiny flatmates! Be sure to join us for our next poll, coming soon when Jacob in Wonderland begins to wrap up!

Be sure to check out Celeste's backstory in Birth of a Nightmare if you haven't already! She is one of the staple characters that is in all AUs along with Sam and Dean.

Note on the stories: The Ties That Bind and Bittersweet Parting are linked stories, much like Schism and Adventures, but just different enough to need to be separated into two parts. So they were written together as one part and later divided.

Leave a review to let me know what you think!

Next: For Science, Coming soon!