Wow, a lot more people reviewed for the second part! Thank you so much to everyone who favorited the story, and more thanks to everyone who reviewed: ramen-is-my-goddess, Silver Mirror, ChaosGarden, DEM0N Hunter, xelloss100, fluidsxcore, nannon, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, liliwick the WORD, Meliez, and Alpha Kan't Spell! This was supposed to only be a three-parter, but it looks like there's one more part coming after this. I hope you enjoy! ^_^

Part III

The rest of the day passed as a blur, Dean hardly noticing the light fading from the sky after he had gone back to the scrapyard. Nerves thrumming with a jumbled energy, he slipped in the mud twice but paid it little mind. In fact, he probably wouldn't have even noticed when it was time for him to leave if Bobby hadn't come up and thwacked him on the back of his head. And he probably wouldn't have even noticed that if Bobby's blow hadn't landed on the lump left over from getting bashed by a whiskey bottle.

"Ow! What the hell, Bobby? I'm healing! Jesus!"

Bobby didn't even have the good grace too look apologetic. "You're also thirty minutes late for leaving. If you're healing, get yourself home, ya idjit."

And that had been that. Bobby had all but dragged Dean back to the Impala when Dean seemed to be having trouble figuring out which way the exit was, shoving him into the car with a short growl to take better care of himself. Truth be told Dean was glad Bobby had kicked him out; not only did he probably need some rest, but he really needed to talk to Sam.

Dean's heart sunk a bit in his chest as he pulled up to the house and saw that Sam's car was missing from the driveway. But then he looked over and saw that the lights were on inside. Right. Jess worked late today and borrowed Sam's pansy-ass car, and that the lights on meant that maybe Sammy actually was home! Thank God something went right today.

Bursting in through the front door, Dean barely waited for Sam to glance up from the couch before practically yelling at him, "Sam! Do you remember Jimmy?"

"Uh," setting his laptop down on the cushion next to him, Sam blinked up in surprise as Dean all but slammed the door shut behind him. He had already changed out of his lawyer suit and was now wearing more comfortable t-shirt and jeans. By the looks of it, he had probably been waiting for him to get back so they could scrounge up something to eat, but there were more pressing matters in Dean's mind right now than food. "You're going to have to be a little more specific than that."

Dean realized he was close to raving but couldn't bring himself to care. He needed answers, now. "Jimmy! He was that guy who was in our house when we were little."

Sam was looking at him now with a strange mixture of concern and confusion, his brow all pinched up and his eyes narrowed like he was trying to read Dean's mind and damn if it wasn't annoying. Trying again, Dean leaned in, resting his weight on the arm of the couch, "Alright, do you remember what happened that night, about a month after we moved in here with Dad? I know you were only like three at the time but, come on Sammy, you have to remember that."

Recognition sparked in Sam's eyes but was almost instantly covered up by a guarded expression. They never talked about what had happened that night before, treating it almost like an unspoken taboo.

"I mean, yeah…I…remember bits and pieces of it." Dean silently urged Sam on with his eyes and his younger brother heaved a sigh and continued. "I, remember that guy," Sam paused, reaching deep back into his memories, "I remember him breaking in…and Dad wasn't home. I remember being so fucking scared as we hid in the cupboards, and then he pulled you out. I remember…I remember thinking that you were going to die."

Dean could see that this was hard for Sam—as it should be, it had been damned traumatizing—but needed Sammy to remember what happened next too, if only to prove that Dean wasn't completely off his rocker. "Do you know how we got out of there? What made that guy leave?"

"I…" Sam's brow pinched up again and he shook his head, "I know something must've happened but, what I do remember, doesn't make any sense."

"Tell me anyway, Sammy."

At Dean's demand, Sam threw his hands up into the air in frustration. "Fine! Alright! What I think happened, what I can remember, is the guy…the guy freaking flying out of the house. And then—"

All of a sudden Sam's voice cut off and his eyes widened in dazed understanding, the creases smoothing from his brow. Whatever memories he had repressed had apparently surfaced and Dean waited impatiently as his brother tried to process what his mind was now telling him. "…Jimmy. You, you always called it Jimmy…" Sam's head snapped up and he stared up at Dean in shock. "Jimmy was real?"

Thank God. Dean had been asking the same exact question for the last couple of hours now but if Sam remembered the same things that Dean did from that night, it must have actually happened. And it meant Dean wasn't crazy. "Yeah, Jimmy…apparently was real. But that's definitely not the strange part in all of this."

Sam looked at Dean like he had grown a second head. "How can that not be the strange part?"

"Last night at the Roadhouse I met Jimmy, or like an exact freaking copy." Sam gaped at him and Dean continued on, just letting everything pour out. "I swear to God, Sam, it's him. He looks the same, he sounds the same, he, he gives off the same feel—the only difference is that Cas is solid and that Jimmy was transparent."

"Okay, wait, hold on a minute. Cas? Is that the guy's name?"

"Yeah, but remember how Jimmy's full name was James Novak?"

Sam seemed a little shell-shocked now, his reply almost robotic. "That's what Dad told us…He said a James Novak used to own the home."

"Cas—Castiel's last name is fucking Novak too! They have the same last name!"

"Maybe they're related?"

The answer felt half-assed even to Sam and Dean quickly cut it down. "Related? They're the same exact person!"

"Come on, Dean." Sam's rational brain was clearly trying to accept what Dean was saying. "Even if everything else is true, they can't be the same person. The real James Novak died when you were six years old. This Castiel guy can't literally be the same person—"

"Not physically, but, what if…" Dean's voice trailed off as he tried to put his thoughts into some sort of comprehensive form, "what if, they had the same, the same soul or whatever?"

"You…mean like reincarnation?"

"Okay, it sounds stupid when you put it like that, but yeah. Essentially. Reincarnation."

The word hung in the air between them for a long moment before Sam leaned back in his seat. Releasing a long sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair, "I guess…if ghosts are real…hell, why not reincarnation?"

There was another moment of silence but Dean had to break it. "We're not…both totally nuts, are we?"

Sammy raised his brows, like he was actually fucking thinking about it. "…Probably not. The likelihood of us both having the same delusion is slim…But who knows, I'm not a psychologist. It's probably best if we don't go around telling everyone about this either way."

"No shit."

"Honestly, I'm kind of glad Jess is at work right now. Until we get this figured out…" Sammy went quiet again before he shook his head. "This is…a lot to take in. But all I can think of is that I really need to see this Castiel guy."

Oh, good reminder. "Great, because I invited him over for dinner tomorrow."

"What?" Sam sat back up with his bitch face on, "Wow, thanks for checking in with me first about that."

"Shut up. I was freaking out and had to get him to stay somehow."

"Well, good job I guess. Now I just need to figure out how to explain this to Jess."

OoOoOo

The next night found the Winchester household in an odd flurry of excitement. Jessica was giving both brothers a look that clearly said she thought they were both insane as she made dinner. She hadn't bought Sam's lame-ass explanation that Castiel was the son of an old family friend but she didn't ask about it, probably figuring that the two boys would tell her when they were ready. Or weren't trying so pathetically to pretend they weren't totally freaking out over whoever this guy was.

At seven o'clock, on the dot, the doorbell rang, the chime reverberating around the small house as everyone inside seemed to freeze. Then a loud bang filled the air as Dean all but toppled out of his chair and ran to the front door. Pausing just long enough to run a hand through his hair, Dean schooled his face into a more nonchalant expression and reached for the handle.

He opened it to reveal a rather hesitant looking Castiel. The man blinked his blue eyes up at Dean, as if he was mildly surprised to see him waiting on the other side, "Oh. Hello, Dean. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Of course not. I asked you over didn't I?" Looking the man over, Dean had to wonder if Cas actually only had one outfit. He was still wearing that same suit and trench, as if it were a second skin, something inseparable from the rest of him. Come to think of it, didn't Jimmy wear something just like that too? Shit, Dean felt like he should be saying 'Welcome home'.

But he kept his mouth shut and just waved the pseudo-phantom in. "Uh, make yourself comfortable. Could I take your coat?"

"No, thank you. I'd…rather keep it on."

"Right."

Well, this was...weird. Cas had stepped inside and Dean had closed the door behind him but they were still standing in the entryway. During Castiel's slightly enigmatic response, his blue eyes had been scanning the living room. But it wasn't like he was curious—no, Cas's face was drawn up in a small frown, like he was confused. Like he was looking for something that wasn't there.

"Hey, you alright?"

Castiel's head jerked back so that he was looking straight into Dean's eyes, a startled flush lighting his pale cheeks. "I'm fine." It was obvious that things were far from fine, but Dean wasn't going to call him on it. If Cas was half as confused as Dean was about all of this, he really didn't deserve to be interrogated right now. "If it's possible, I would like to see Sam. Is he home?"

Before Dean could even holler back into the kitchen, Sam poked his head out. The bastard had totally been eavesdropping. Dean nodded for him to come over and Sam cautiously made his way over, obviously trying to act casual and not openly stare at their guest. Castiel probably wouldn't have cared anyway as he was staring right back as Sam crossed the room in a few strides thanks to his ridiculously long legs. "Um, hey. It's Castiel, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Sam Winchester, Dean's brother."

Cas nodded, blue eyes boring into Sam's face, the confused crease never leaving his brow. "It's, nice to meet you as well. You're…taller than I had anticipated."

Dean had to laugh at that, causing Castiel to blush again. He looked flustered now, almost lost, and as Sam looked on wondering what he should do Dean finally took pity on him. Shaking his head, Dean clapped Cas on the shoulder, trying to put him more at ease, "I agree with you one hundred percent. Sammy is way too tall for his own good."

Sam leveled a weak glare at his brother but couldn't bring himself to be too mad as the comment eased some of the awkwardness that hung heavy in the air. "Shut up, Dean. Ignore him, Castiel. Jessica, my girlfriend, just finished making dinner. We'd love it if you could join us."

Looking from Sam's earnest smile—almost flawlessly hiding a minor freak-out—to Dean's beseeching eyes, Cas gave a stiff nod. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

Together the three of them walked through the small house, down the hall, and into the kitchen. On the way Dean caught Sam's gaze once or twice, the brothers sharing hundreds of silent words in a single glance, while Cas continued to look around. Dean couldn't tell if the other man was panicked, nervous, worried or what, but no matter what it was Castiel still managed to offer Jess a small, strained smile and a nod as they made it over to the table.

Jess, bless her heart, smiled brightly back as she set the last plate on the table. "Hi, you must be Castiel. I hope pot roast is fine. Dean pretty much insisted on it last night when he told me we were going to have company over."

Dean rolled his eyes as he ushered a misplaced-looking Castiel into a seat. "You're making me sound like a jerk."

"Good, she's telling the truth then." Sam's words were softened by the teasing smirk on his face as he sat down next to Jessica, across the table from Dean and Cas.

Cas glanced from Dean to Sam, then back to Dean again before he seemed to remember that he had been asked a question and turned to Jessica. "Ah, pot roast is fine. I apologize if my coming over on such short notice was an inconvenience."

Jess shook her head with another smile. "It's no trouble at all. It's rare that these two have guests come over. Sam mentioned that your family knew theirs when they were little?"

Almost choking on the bite of meat he had put in his mouth, Dean's head snapped up to find Sammy staring back at him, knowing that they had just been caught in a lie. Eyes flying to Castiel, Dean watched anxiously as his surprised expression morphed into one of understanding. Wait, what? "In a way, yes, though I hadn't realized they were aware. My uncle, James Novak, lived in this house with his wife and daughter. I believe the Winchesters purchased the property from them."

Now Dean was back to staring at Sam, but this time it was in shock as he tried to digest this new chunk of information. So Cas was James Novak—Jimmy's nephew? That explained the last name, but even if he was Jimmy's son, Cas still shouldn't have looked so similar. Those eyes couldn't just be the result of a recessive gene.

Sam found his voice first, trying to keep his tone light, "So Castiel, did you spend any time here when you were a kid? Before your aunt and uncle moved out I mean."

"No. My family lives on the East Coast. This is actually the first time I have come to this part of the country myself, though Gabriel, my brother, has been out here for his show before."

Not to mention that Cas wasn't even born by the time the Novaks moved out of this house, but if he wasn't going to mention it neither would Dean. But if Castiel hadn't even ever been in the state before, how had he known that their house had been 'the white one on the corner'? And why was he looking around like he'd already been inside? Dean thought he would be able to get some answers tonight but if anything the questions just kept piling up.

Mind swimming, Dean did his best to act normal, to do his part to hold a conversation that Sam and Castiel were also forcing themselves to be a part of. He could tell that Jess was picking up on their discomfort but she was the real hero of the evening, simply continuing to pick up the slack and make the meal an almost pleasant affair.

By the end of dinner Dean had learned that Gabriel, the brother Dean had seen at the bar, was a magician by trade, much to the chagrin of their serious-minded family, and would spend nearly half of every year on the road. Castiel also had a brother named Michael, who was apparently a high ranking officer in the Army, a sister Anna who had served as an Army medic for three years, and another older brother Cas called Luce who was part of a Special Ops team. After first Dean had been wondering why someone like Castiel would travel around with someone like Gabriel but after hearing about his other siblings, Gabriel was probably the best option out of the bunch. But he still wasn't any closer to figuring out what was going on between them. Other than his appearance, personality, clothing, and last name, Castiel seemed to have absolutely no connection to this town or this house.

Dean and Sam both tried to wheedle answers out of the stiff young man but came up short. By the time their plates were all empty Dean and Sam could only exchange exasperated looks. Dean couldn't tell if Cas actually didn't know anything about it and he was just a weird guy or if he was hiding something from them. Either way, just like Sam and Dean, Castiel seemed to be getting knocked more and more off-kilter as the meal continued and when Jess and Sam began to take dishes up to the table the man's face had paled a few shades.

Concerned and fighting back the unwelcome instinct to coddle another fully grown man, Dean pushed himself up and walked over to the sink where Jess was just getting ready to clean up. "Since you cooked, it's only fair I take care of the dishes."

Jessica blinked up at him, probably shocked that he had actually offered to do housework, then grinned. "If you insist, I'm not about to try to convince you otherwise."

Dean glanced over his shoulder as he heard Cas pushing his chair back and watched as he rose to his feet. Visually he was just a little pale but Dean could tell—feel?—that the other was only a short step away from completely flipping out. "A-Allow me to help you…"

Dean shared a cautious look with Sam before pasting on what he hoped was a comforting smile. "Don't worry about it Cas. You're a guest, I'm not gonna make you work."

The blue in Cas's eyes seemed to intensify, his jaw tightening as he watched Dean work. Then, as Dean reached down to the cabinet where they kept the dish soap, the tension in the room finally snapped.

Castiel jerked forward as if he had been electrocuted, "Dean, wait! Don't!" Lurching forward, he dove for Dean's arm, his fingers wrapping tight as steel around his wrist. As Dean looked up again he found Cas's blue eyes, wide and wild, staring desperately into his. "Don't open it. Please."

As strong as his grip was on Dean's arm, Dean felt him shaking, Cas's pulse pounding against his skin. Looking back down at the cabinet, Dean was suddenly hit with a memory long-since buried. This was the same cabinet he and Sammy had hid in, the night of the robbery. Cas's reaction was just too bizarre to be a coincidence. He and Sam weren't crazy. Something was definitely going on, and now Dean knew without a doubt that Cas felt it too.

Releasing the handle on the cabinet, Dean moved his hand to rest on Castiel's arm before looking back at the other two left in the kitchen, both watching the exchange with concern heavy in their eyes. "Hey, Sammy, Jess. Can you give us a minute?"

Sam hesitated, his brow furrowing, "Everything okay?"

Dean could only shrug. "I'll let you know." Castiel's shaking grew worse and Dean knew that it was time that they sat down and tried to talk this mess out. "You two wait out in the living room, alright?"

Again Sam seemed to hesitate but Jess, reacting to the spark of determination in Dean's eyes, gave a gentle tug on Sam's elbow, slowly urging him from the room. Dean knew that Sam could've stayed, would've probably understood what was happening better than he was able to, but for some reason Dean felt like this was something between him and Cas, something meant to be private.

Left alone in the kitchen, silent now saved for Castiel's heavy breathing, their grips slowly loosened on each other. Then, just as slowly, Cas ran his hands over his face as his knees seemed to give out. Slumping down against the cabinet door, his fingers slid up through his hair, gripping hard at the dark strands as if trying to keep his brain from bursting out. "I don't understand it. What's happening to me?"

"Hey, Cas, take it easy." Kneeling down next to him, Dean ran a hand over Cas's back, just as Cas had done to them the first night they met after the fight. "Listen, none of this makes any sense to me either. But we can figure this out together, right?"

Castiel shook his head but maybe even subconsciously leaned into his hand, seemingly desperate for a reassuring touch. "I don't know, Dean. I really don't know. I have, I have memories in my head that aren't mine. For years now I'd had them, and I, I thought they were just dreams, but then I met you and I feel like I know you. Like I know you and Sam, your family, this house."

Hearing a rising panic in the other's deep voice, Dean interrupted with a sigh, "I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but the feeling's mutual."

A short, dry noise slipped past Castiel's lips and Dean realized it had been a laugh. "As unnerving as it is, I suppose it is a little comforting…"

"Listen, Cas," Starting hesitantly, Dean took a moment to sit down on the tiled floor and leaned back against the cabinets, "I have, this theory about what's going on. And I'm probably going to sound like a psychopath, but I swear to God I'm not crazy."

He felt Cas's back twitch a little under his palm at the slight blaspheme and it was then that Dean wondered if Castiel was religious and if that would make a difference to how he'd take Dean's theory. It was then that Dean also realized that he still had his hand resting against Cas's back but he couldn't work up enough incentive to move it.

"At this point, there is little you could say that I would immediately dismiss as implausible."

Dean was pretty sure Cas wasn't going to feel that way in half a second. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you. But, Sam and I were talking and what we ended up with was, well…how do you feel about the idea of reincarnation?"

There was a short pause before slowly Cas lifted his face from his hands, his head tilting to the side as if he were really thinking Dean's words through. "…Are you suggesting that, that I am someone reborn?"

"Jimmy, er, your Uncle James, to be specific. I haven't told anyone about this, ever, but when we were kids…" Dean paused, trying to figure out what to say, "when we were kids, Sam and I met your uncle, sort of. Looking back on it, I'm pretty sure it was his ghost, but the point is, Cas, is that you look, act, hell, you even dress exactly like this guy." Looking at Castiel's face, blue eyes narrowed in careful thought, Dean knew he had struck a chord. "Maybe, maybe you feel like you know this place, know us, because you've lived through it—metaphorically speaking—just not as Castiel."

"I…don't know, Dean." Rubbing his hand over his face again, Castiel suddenly looked exhausted, probably having exceeded his yearly emotional quota hours ago. "Something like that—it is a lot to accept. Until seven months ago, I thought I was just having vivid dreams. But then I saw you at the bar two nights ago and now whenever I'm struck with the prospect of having to leave I become more apprehensive than when I was deployed. I'm…" Cas heaved a weary, frustrated sigh, "I'm just tired. I thought coming here would bring me some relief, but now I don't even know what to believe anymore…"

As Castiel's voice trailed off, Dean understood just how drained the other actually was. He looked confused, overwhelmed, and absolutely exhausted. "Hey, it's not just you taking this on alone anymore, alright? I'm just as freaked out as you are, but we'll make sense out of this somehow. But not tonight." Cas blinked up at him, head tilting again, and Dean had to smirk. "Tonight I think we both had best get some rest and tackle this thing again in the morning. You look like you've had enough for one day and my brain feels like it's going to leak out of my ears, so I don't think we really should start unravel any supernatural mysteries."

"That…may be a wise course of action. So tomorrow—"

"I have tomorrow off of work so how about you come over here again in the afternoon." If Dean played his cards right, he could probably convince Sam to take the day off too. Jess was working again tomorrow but it would be nice if they had someone to watch their backs. "Can you make it?"

His answer was instantaneous, "Of course. Gabriel is starting to get frustrated but I will make him understand. Either that or I will make another excuse to make him willing to stay longer."

Castiel offered Dean a tight smile which Dean quickly returned. For what may have been the first time, he knew he wasn't looking at Jimmy but a unique someone else. The blue eyes staring up at him might've been similar but it was definitely Cas looking back at him, a twenty-one-year-old young man just as desperate for answers as Dean was. And that made Dean even more determined to get to the bottom of this mess they were in.

OoOoOo

After letting Cas just rest on their kitchen floor before gathering the strength to get back on his feet, Dean had walked him back through the house to the front door. Sam and Jess had politely waited for Cas to offer Dean another tight smile, a small blush, and a promise to return the next day, before barraging Dean with questions as soon as the door closed behind their guest. While Dean and Cas had been in the kitchen, Sam had apparently spilled everything to Jess who took it all in with remarkable ease, considering. Apparently if Sam believed it that was enough to convince Jess not to call a mental hospital to come and pick them up.

When Dean told them what had happened and that Cas was coming back the next day, Sam had just stared at him, his bitch face at having been excluded slowly melting into a determined frown. He had immediately promised to take the next day off and they spent the next seven minutes trying to convince Jess that there was no reason she should waste her very limited vacation time. There was a very good chance that nothing was going to happen anyway.

She had finally relented and the rest of the night passed with them trying to wind down from the night's events. It didn't work too well and after an hour of pretending that he was alright, Dean resorted to splitting a six pack of beer with Sammy just so that his muscles would relax.

Dean woke up the next morning sprawled across the couch, still dressed in his jeans and t-shirt, with a blanket thrown on top of him and the smell of coffee drifting out of the kitchen. Jess must've turned on the coffee maker on before she left for work. That woman was a saint.

Peeling himself off of the upholstery, Dean lazily ran his fingers through his hair as he stood. He could hear the shower running and knew Sam must've gotten up a few minutes ago himself. In a calculated move, Dean made his way down the hall, past the bathroom, and into the kitchen, downing two mugs full of coffee before Sasquatch got his hands on it.

When Sam finally shuffled in, wet hair hanging around his face, he scowled as he saw the nearly-empty coffee pot. "Wow, way to be a jerk, Dean."

Dean smirked back, feeling more awake now that there was caffeine flowing through his veins. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"Can you blame me? Yesterday I woke up only worried if I could get my case filed on time. Today I woke up questioning my religious beliefs and whether there is life after death! And you're too much of a bastard to even save me a full cup of coffee that my girlfriend made for us to share."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Quit bitching at me and be glad I left anything. Besides, I fully expect to be the one who gets thrown under the bus with this whole Castiel thing today, so I need all the help I can get."

Sammy grumbled under his breath before stalking over to the cupboard and pulling out another mug. Dean just smirked into his coffee at his brother's behavior but kept quiet, not wanting to bug Sam too much when he was sacrificing a day's paycheck to save Dean from a major freak-out. Not enough to share his coffee, but enough not to harass him to his usual extent.

A few minutes passed by as Sammy downed his cup, Dean leaning against the counter to wait for him to finish. Finally, after draining every last drop of liquid from his mug, Sam set it on the table. There was another long pause and Sam shook his head, "What are we even going to do today when Cas comes over?"

Dean noticed Sam borrowing his nickname for Castiel but didn't call him on it. Instead, he tried to work a plan out in his head but wasn't surprised when he came up blank. "We'll figure it out, Sammy. Cas and I will work something out."

Sam gave Dean a funny look from across the kitchen and Dean frowned back. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…it's strange. Good strange, but strange, seeing how fast you and Cas bonded. You usually don't get this worked up about anyone, well, other than me I guess. And he seems pretty attached to you already."

Dean didn't like Sam's tone and tossed a glare over at him to tell him so. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know…" Dean continued to glare and Sam shifted on his feet, suddenly seeming uneasy.

Feeling like he was missing something important, Dean just got more irritated. "Spit it out, Sammy."

With a harsh sigh, Sam finally seemed to break as the words burst past his lips, "Dude, he was totally smitten for you. He couldn't take his eyes off you."

What the hell? "Okay, first off, no one uses the word 'smitten' anymore, Sam. Second, of course he was staring at me. I was staring at him. This whole thing is messed up, we're just both trying to figure everything out."

Sam put his hands up, as if trying to soothe Dean's temper. "I get it, I do, but even given the circumstances, he was still staring at you a lot and blushed like seven times."

Sam stared up at Sammy like he was crazy, which was true because he must've just lost his mind. "'Given the circumstances?' Are you already so jaded about the whole reincarnation thing?"

Sam frowned back at him, "I was just trying to warn you. Usually you get all, well, frankly you get a little homophobic, Dean. You seem to like the guy so I thought I'd tell you before you found out the hard way and freaked out."

"Hey, don't, don't talk about Cas like that. Even if he is gay—which I'm still not sold on—I don't see him falling for me."

Whatever Sam heard suddenly stopped him in his metaphorical tracks, his eyes suddenly widening as if someone had just told him the secret to the universe. "Huh."

Trying to figure out what he had said that would make Sam react like that, Dean continued to glare. "What?"

Sam shook his head at Dean's question, "Nothing…Just a thought."

"Well stop thinking so much, it makes me nervous."

Any retort that Sammy had for that was cut off by the sound of a loud pounding on the door. Sam started in surprise as Dean pushed himself off of the counter with a stormy look. That was way too early to be Cas, and he wouldn't knock like that anyway.

Feeling grimy still from sleeping on the couch but really not enough to do anything about it, Dean made his way to the front door, still worked up from what Sam had been saying. He sort of wished he had stopped at the bathroom long enough to splash some water on his face though when he opened the door to find himself staring down at none other than a very ticked-off looking Gabriel Novak.

Seeing Dean's face didn't seem to improve the short man's mood either, his scowl deepening as he shoved past Dean and marched inside.

Dean took an instant dislike to him, not in a very good mood himself, and definitely not liking getting pushed around in his own goddamn house. "Hey, what the hell?"

Hearing Dean's voice was apparently the final straw and Gabriel whipped around to glare up at his face, strangely intimidating for his size. "Exactly, what the hell? What the hell are you doing to my brother?"

Dean glanced up as Sam stepped into the front room than back down to Gabriel. "What?"

"Come on." Gabriel pushed into Dean's personal space, jabbing a finger into Dean's chest, "I'm an illusionist, a hypnotist, I do it all, and I know how the tricks work. I know how to convince people to think what you want them to, and right now I know that you've got Castiel eating out of the palm of your hand. So I'm going to tell you once: you're going to stop doing whatever the hell you're doing to my brother or, so help me God, I will make you."

Dean shoved Gabriel's hand away as Sam took another step closer, ready to intervene, "Hey, calm down! Now you can either relax and tell us what your problem is or you can turn around get out of my house. Your choice."

Gabriel's lip twisted up in a sneer, golden eyes flashing. Dean had only met him once before, at the bar, but somehow he knew that it wasn't often people got this far under Gabriel's skin. "Just because I'm not in the military, don't think that I'm any less dangerous than my brothers. You should show me some respect, boy."

Dean's temper flared again. No one told him what to do in his own place. "I'll show you respect when I get it."

When the only response he got was Gabriel's fist flying toward his face, Dean was so ready for it. Dodging the blow, Dean whipped out his own fist and buried in Gabriel's stomach, venting all of his frustrations into the hit. Even with all the air knocked out of him, Gabriel's reached out, gripping tight onto Dean's shirt and they both tumbled to the ground. Scrambling to regain the upper hand, Dean grunted as Gabriel landed a hit on his already abused jaw. He had sort of been expecting for this to be an easy win but now he wasn't so sure that he'd even come out on top.

Luckily, Sam was there. With a grunt, the gigantic beanpole reached down and literally grabbed Gabriel around the waist and pulled them apart. As he scrambled to his feet, Dean heard Sam mutter something about older brothers before setting a scowling Gabriel back onto his feet. Gabriel shoved him away and Sam quickly put his hands up in a peacemaking gesture, looking annoyingly amused, "How about the both of you cool it and we can talk this out like rational adults."

"Alright! Fine. Just keep your hands to yourself, you moose." With a huff, Gabriel reached up and ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it, looking entirely too unruffled as Dean fought to catch his breath. The man inhaled deeply as if trying to calm himself down, his dark expression returning as he let the breath out. "Listen up, 'cause I'm only going to say this one more time." Dean ignored the look that Gabriel leveled at him, "Castiel has issues, there's no denying it. My parents and older siblings mistakenly thought that sending him to the Air Force would solve the problem, but it clearly hasn't worked out. The fact that you are feeding off of the poor kid's delusions is disgusting—even by my standards—and I'm here to tell you that you are either going to stop or I'm going to make you stop."

Forcing himself to push through his anger in order to actually get through to Castiel's older brother, Dean glowered at Gabriel as he massaged his jaw. "And I'm telling you that I haven't done anything to Cas. I don't know what you know or what he's told you but—"

"—I know that he's been having dreams for his whole life about shit that he shouldn't know about. And I know that what he went through in war only made them worse to the point that when he got back he wouldn't stop bugging me until I took him out to this hellhole. He's in a delicate place right now, whether from some messed up form of PTSD or whatever mental problems he had before that, and he doesn't need some small-town hustler making it worse."

Throwing his hands up into the air, Dean had to hold himself back from launching himself back at Gabriel. "Listen, everything is real."

Gabriel lifted a brow, simultaneously questioning and ridiculously condescending, "Excuse me?"

"Cas's dreams, they're real, this whole thing is real! I'm not screwing around with Cas, I'm just as confused as he is!"

Sam spoke up before Dean could ramble himself into a hole, "What Dean's trying to say is that we have absolutely no intention of hurting Castiel, we're trying to help. We think, we think that Castiel has a connection with your Uncle James who used to live in this house."

Now Gabriel's attention was on Sam and Dean couldn't say he was sorry for it. The man's gaze was almost as intense as Castiel's. "What, you mean like some sort of psychic crap?"

Dean scoffed, "Wow, for an illusionist you sure are a skeptic."

And Gabriel's gaze was back on him again. Great. "Yeah, because like I said, I know how the tricks work. But you two actually believe something like that's going on here? Un-freaking-believable."

"We're not just talking some sort of 'psychic connection,' whatever the hell that even means. We're talking like full-on reincarnation. Something serious is going on and you can't be doubting your brother right now. Cas needs you, as horrible a person as you are."

Gabriel released a frustrated little noise as he ignored Dean's jab. "And what exactly do you suggest? Don't you think I'd do anything for my kid brother, that I haven't tried everything I can think of already?"

"Obviously you need to start thinking out of the box."

"Well you guys would be the two freaks to go to then, wouldn't you, with your 'theory' of reincarnation? If that's the best you got, sorry, but your best isn't good enough."

Again Sam had to speak up before Dean said something he would regret. "It sounds crazy, we know, but if you really have tried everything else already, what harm could it do to just work with us? If we're wrong, then you get to leave town and never see us again but if by some miracle we're right, then you'll have the answer you've been looking for. Don't the potential benefits outweigh the costs?"

Gabriel stared at Sam, long and hard, as if peering deep into his soul as Sammy's words hung in the air and he made use of those wide puppy eyes of his. Dean knew first hand that those eyes could melt even a stone-cold heart so wasn't too surprised when Gabriel finally folded.

Crossing his arms over his chest, the auburn-haired man pursed his lips. "…If I were to agree with you, what would that even entail? If you seriously think Castiel is Uncle James reborn or whatever the hell you claim, how do you think you're going to prove it?"

As Sam floundered, Dean stepped back in. "We're working on it. But this is just as important to me as it is to Cas. I'm pretty sure that whatever's going on in Cas's head is the key to figuring out what the hell is going on. Maybe if we talk it out, we can put something together."

Gabriel still didn't look happy but the more he thought about it, the more he seemed to grudgingly accept the Winchester's plan of action. Dean looked over at Sam, his resolve strengthening at the sight of the assurance in Sammy's eyes, and the two waited as patiently as they could for Gabriel to answer back.

Dean was just about sure that Gabriel had forgotten that they were there when the older man finally spoke. "…Castiel said he was coming back here today, which was why I came over in the first place. I'm not just going to leave him to deal with you two wackos alone now that I know what you're up to, but…" sighing, Gabriel finally looked up and met their eyes. His glare was gone, now replaced with a gaze filled with a reluctant determination, "If you want to get in his head…I might be able to help you with that. You learn a few tricks in my line of work."

Blinking in surprise at the unexpected cooperation, Dean could just nod. "Alright. Great." Now they had Gabriel in on it to, and had the beginnings of what was almost seemed like a plan. "Now all we're missing is Cas."