Sophia was sitting on the bench in her sanctuary petting an overly large rabbit, he was lavender because as Sophia put it, "Father makes them in such small sizes and boring colors." She bent down to let the rabbit go and stood to her full height, she pushed back the waist length dark hair over her shoulder. "Hello brother, what do you need?" She heard a brief rustling noise as his wings vanished.

Behind her stood Castiel, his cerulean eyes working over the back of the strong sister before him. "Sophia I need to go now, he needs me." She turned and locked him in place with large tawny eyes. "No it is not time Castiel, Father wouldn't want you to go." She reached out to him and placed long fingers around his arm. Everything comes in its own time, he has never laid his eyes on you. This is a process that takes time Castiel, you cannot rush it.

He pulled away and started to pace, "Why doesn't Father tell me himself," He turned to Sophia with his hands out, "Why doesn't he speak to me directly, I only have what you say to go on. This man is destroyed inside, if I don't help him I don't think he can heal on his own." Humans can be so strong but yet be broken so easily if the wrong door opens."

She sat back on the bench and folded her hands, "Come sit with me brother," Castiel sat next to his sister. "What if he sees you? You have had little contact with him. You spoke a few words, he felt your touch but could not see you and all he knows is your beautiful eyes shining with heavens light. It is dangerous to him, this isn't how it works."

Castiel covered his face with his hands and cried, "It was Hantu in Sam Winchester, Hantu Kopek, she opened every dark door and revealed everything to him and all Sam could do was watch. Dean Winchester is too important to leave him broken now."

Sophia closed her eyes, "A demon of nightmares, very bad. Brother promise me if we let you go you must come back after he is better. He can't know who you are, you go back to slowly letting him know you in his dreams." She held his face and looked into his eyes, "But these eyes are so distinctive, not like any others so try to not look at him if you can help it."

"Thank you sister, let me make arrangements with the regiment, I don't need permission but it would good to have their blessings. Sophia he has my amulet now, but it was lost during the incident so I must get it back." Castiel kissed her, "Goodbye sister, thank you for understanding."

She waved him away, "yes go make your arrangements, get the amulet ,fix your pretty pet monkey, then come back home to us."

"Bobby, its Sam you have to come, Dean is in the hospital, Saint Hubert. I left the address where we were staying, it's the only hospital so it should be easy to find. I'll explain when you get here."

Bobby looked up the address for Saint Hubert and took off as fast as he could go.

….

Dean was on his side holding a pillow, his eyes were fixed and dilated and he wasn't speaking. When Sam came in he felt weak in the knees and sat down by his brother's bed. Dean was on oxygen and a drip, propped up by pillows on each side. He was looking at Sam but not seeing him. Sam stroked his hair and spoke to him quietly, "Its ok Dee, I'm here its Sammy, I'm going to take care of you, I love you." There was a flicker of recognition in Dean's eyes and then it was gone.

"I'm going to get her Dean don't worry," Sam started to cry, "She made me say everything, it wasn't me please believe me."

A nurse walked in, "I'm sorry Mister Winchester, your brother needs his rest. There is a policeman to see you out in the hall." Sam walked out and spotted the cop, he walked up to him but didn't know what to say. "So you are Sam, the victims brother….you know its strange, I spoke with a couple of people that saw you in the water with him before they left. There wasn't anyone else there, any ideas about that?"

Sam tried not to look guilty, it was hard because he was there for all of it. "We were swimming and afterward he went to rest and dry off on the towel and I walked along the beach, I saw the ambulance from far away and ran as fast as I could." The policeman scratched his chin and tapped a pen on his note pad, "Well that must have been a long walk Sam….can I call you Sam?" Sam nodded, "I just wanted to explore the beach is all." The policeman smiled and shook his hand, "Well that's all the questions for now."

…..

Bobby walked up behind Sam and grabbed his shoulder, "Sam what happened?" Before Sam could say anything Bobby walked into Dean's room and sat in the chair by his bed. "Son its me Bobby, I'm here don't worry nothings gonna happen to you over my dead body." He stood and stepped out in the hall with Sam, "Whats going on, what the hell happened? Sam pointed to an empty waiting room "Over here in private."

….

It started to rain and for once Castiel was happy to have his trench coat. He walked the beach and honed in on the amulet buried in the sand where Dean had been. He pulled it out, gently wiped it on his coat and slipped it in his pocket.

….

Good Christ, Sam I don't even know what to say….I just….." Bobby started to cry, "I didn't notice anything all those years …I didn't know, God help me I didn't know anything about that I swear it. If I had I would have personally put them all in the ground myself including John. You poor kids, my poor boys." Bobby shook his head "no wonder that boy is so damaged, oh God help him."

Sam was slumped in the chair with tear stained cheeks and his arms folded, "If there was any God he wouldn't have let that happen at all."

A young doctor appeared, Sam had no idea where he came from. He had intense blue eyes, the kind you never forget and messy dark hair, he was handsome but all Sam and Bobby saw was the thousand yard stare of a man that had experienced too much pain and death to last several lifetimes.

"I am Doctor Angeles assigned to your brother and I assure you I will do all I can to help him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the talisman, "I believe this is your brothers, the ambulance driver found it underneath him and dropped it off." Sam kept looking at his eyes, Bobby smacked his leg, "Stop starin' at the man or you're going to creep him out. " Sam snapped out of whatever was happening and took the amulet. "Thanks doctor."

He put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "You both get some food and rest, I am going to stay the night to observe him. It will be fine, and Sam, God has nothing to do with what happened to your brother as a child. It's the free will of man that makes him do good or evil deeds and how it effects others God has no part in. Think of free will as a gift but with a twist because it can be used so many ways." We can only hope you use what was given to you the way Father would want it"

Sam stood up and narrowed his eyes, "I didn't say anything specific about my brother, who is "we" and "father", what are you talking about, who are you?" Castiel touched Sam and Bobby's foreheads, there was brief flash and Sam turned to Bobby, "Lets get something to eat and get some rest. Thanks Doctor."

….

Dean's eyes closed, he was in a deep sleep punctuated by horrible images of a crying child in a room with strangers and as he was watching he realized in the dream that he was the child who started to scream for his uncle, mother and brother but no one came to save him. No one ever came to save him. It happened over and over, year after year and Dean saw it all now, every stranger, everything that happened and he experienced the pain all over again. The next image was Dean sitting on a bed, his feet didn't touch the floor. John stood in front of him demanding the money. Sam was hiding under a blanket pretending to sleep, too little to help him.

A woman was in the dream with black eyes and dark hair, she smiled and pointed a Dean, "Did you enjoy the trip down memory lane? I sure did." She started to laugh and then someone came from behind that Dean couldn't see, a hand came around and grasped her forehead. There was blinding flash of light and the woman was a pile of ash.

Suddenly the little boy had the darkness of wings enrobe him in safety and Dean could hear the soft deep voice, "It is going to be good now, all of this is past memories but it doesn't need to enslave you anymore." The boy felt the pain and sorrow leach out of his small frame and now it was nothing but a vanishing dark mist. Hands held his face and a man with blue eyes kissed him on the forehead. The little boy smiled and felt light and free, he turned and thanked the man then walked out a door and closed it forever.

The man stood in front of adult Dean Winchester in the dream, massive black shadows were cast against the wall of the room in the form of wings, he held out his arms and Dean went to him. He kissed him gently on the lips, "I love you Dean Winchester, I will see you again someday."

…..

Dean's eyes popped open, he took a deep breath and looked around. A doctor had his back to Dean, he had removed the IV drip and the oxygen. "Who are you, why am I here?" The man turned around and held his face in both hands, Dean was looking up into the blue eyes of his dreams. The man smiled kindly and kissed his mouth, Dean kissed him back, his body was healed and he felt good but couldn't remember anything that led up to him being in a hospital bed.

Dean couldn't stop looking at him, their lips were inches apart and he strained to reach the beautiful mans mouth again pulling him down to meet Dean half way. He didn't know what was happening or why he was doing this but he slipped his tongue into the man's mouth and pressed harder. Suddenly the man pulled away, he looked up and spoke "Yes I am coming."

He looked at Dean one last time," I love you Dean Winchester you just don't know it yet." He touched his forehead and Dean fell into a restful sleep.

The nurses wondered where the new handsome Doctor Angeles had gone. They never did see him again at Saint Hubert Hospital.

…..

Sophia sat by the water pushing a stick against a pink leave that was floating, she looked up and Castiel was back. "It went well?" He sat next to her and looked at the leaf, "Fuschia pink?" She shrugged, "Its my retreat not anyone elses, I believe in the power of colors don't you?"

Castiel gave a rare smile, "Only you sister would make your retreat in these colors but that is why I like you, you think on your own." He sighed, "That is rare with us isn't it? She nodded in agreement. "To answer you, yes everything is good now. I healed his soul, body and little boy trapped inside and all of it is locked away. The demon is dead and wont haunt anyones dreams again."

She took his hand, "Now Castiel you will wait for your time, its far away." He nodded, "I will wait Sophia."

TBC

Author's note- Sophia is a angel I wrote into "The Sacrifices We Make" and she is a bit harsher in that one. I wanted to show her softer side here in the prequel to TSWM. Saint Hubert is the patron saint of hunters.