AUTHOR'S NOTES: The brief scene with Bobby may be out of place now, but it will make more sense next chapter. And anyone want to take a guess at who the other 'Ghosts' are in this story? There's still the Present and Future to be considered.
Chapter 2
Bobby Singer had buried himself in demonic lore to escape the sounds of Sam and Dean Winchester fighting in the yard a few hours ago and from what he could tell, neither brother was giving in any time soon.
Sam was starting to believe that Castiel was working with the demon, Crowley, in order to win the war against Raphael.
Dean didn't want to believe that the angel would go that far.
And Bobby… well, these days he wasn't sure what to believe. But he knew what his gut told him, and right now it was saying that Castiel was holding back about something—maybe everything. With a sigh, he closed up his books and stood up, feeling his knees creak and pop loudly.
Going into the kitchen, Bobby reloaded the coffee maker and started brewing a fresh pot before going to the main phone and calling in pizza for himself and the boys when the finally came back in.
After the vision of the Harvelle Roadhouse during his meditative recharge, Castiel visited the spot where the bar had once stood. The wreckage had long ago been cleared away but someone—the Winchesters, perhaps?—had put up a wooden sign which read: 'Former site of the Harvelle Roadhouse, home of Ellen and Jo Harvelle and Ash. May they rest in peace'.
Reaching out with his grace, Castiel put his hand on the aging sign and it suddenly looked brand new, wild flowers suddenly growing at the base.
"It's a nice gesture, Castiel," Anna said as she joined her brother angel.
"You are not real," Castiel said, more to himself than to Anna. He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he heard the comfort in her voice.
"I'm real enough," Anna said, walking past Castiel. Turning to face him, she closed her eyes a moment, and suddenly the two had gone back in time, watching an old minivan pull up to the bar and a younger Sam and Dean Winchester getting out and looking around before going inside the Roadhouse.
"What are we doing here?" Castiel asked, not sure why he was looking at this particular moment.
"Because this is the moment the angels started keeping closer tabs on Sam and Dean," Anna replied as she and Castiel appeared inside the bar. Looking over at her brother, she added, "Especially you." When the other angel gave her a puzzled look, she shrugged and turned back to the Winchesters as they met Jo and Ellen Harvelle. "You saw something here, Cas. You saw real brothers. And you wanted that. You still do."
The bar vanished, replaced by Bobby Singer's house.
Castiel watched Dean get beaten by Sam who was possessed by the demon, Meg. "Why wouldn't Dean kill Sam?" Castiel asked.
"John Winchester made Dean promise to kill Sam… only if Dean couldn't save his brother," Anna explained, looking at Castiel. "Dean will always be there to save his brother."
'Who will be there to save me?' Castiel asked himself as the scene changed yet again. This time, the air was thick with the screams of tortured souls. He saw himself battling demon after demons, reaching out a hand to a figure with a razor, the blade dripping with blood.
The figure turned, a once debonair yet careless face now cold with vengeance.
The past Castiel gripped Dean Winchester by the upper arm and suddenly the two vanished from Hell.
Standing with Anna, Castiel watched Dean climb from his grave, gasping as he breathed fresh air.
"You reached Dean first," Anna said, watching the scene unfold. "You tried to communicate with him first. You fought harder than any other angel."
"Because I saw myself in him," Castiel said, quietly. It was true. He'd seen Dean and what the young man was willing to endure for the sake of family and Castiel wanted to feel that way, too. He loved his fellow angels, God, and all of his Father's creations. But few of them felt the same way and Castiel was troubled by that endlessly.
Until the Winchesters.
Cas remembered Anna begging him to stop Dean from torturing Alastair and a question rose in his mind. Looking at Anna, he asked, "What I've done… is this what you meant when you said I might be losing the only real weapon I had?"
"Yes," Anna replied, sadly. "It's not the number of souls that matters, Castiel. But how strong the individual soul is."
For a while, Castiel wordlessly let Anna guide him through more and more of his memories. He watched himself working with Dean, trying to live with limited powers. He knew what Anna was trying to show him: that he'd become what he'd reviled back then. That he was now someone Sam and Dean would view as an enemy if they knew the truth.
Feeling lost in the despair, Castiel was only dimly aware of Anna putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What do I do, Anna?" Castiel, asked, praying that the deceased angel would be able to guide him. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I can't tell you that, Cas," Anna replied, regretfully. "I wish I could. I wish I could help you."
"Then what are you doing here?" Castiel demanded. Why did no one have any answers? "What am I supposed to learn from all this?"
But Anna was patient as she gave him a smile. "You're here to learn what's really important," she replied, calmly. "What your true weapon really is."
Castiel wasn't sure what to say to that and when Anna vanished, he once again found himself alone and with no more knowledge about what to do than when he'd started.
