"So, you really pulled Dean out of Hell?"
"Yes. I led my battalion into Hell for Dean."
"A whole battalion? Of Angels?"
"Yes. Angels are the warriors of Heaven. We do not sit on clouds and play harps."
Internally laughing at Castiel's unintended joke, he suddenly wished that Dean was with them. He would have enjoyed this, demon stalking aside. He smirked as he continued staring out the window to the last place Liz had seen her demon. It would normally be a busy street had there not been a layer of half a foot of snow. He scrolled down his phone's contact list until he found his brother's name. It was comforting to know that he was only a phone call away.
Liz was laughing, her eyes wide and interested. Sam couldn't blame her. She was a fan learning what happened to her favorite characters after the story ended. "So, how'd you end up a rogue Angel if Heaven wanted Dean out of Hell?"
"They wanted him to say yes to the head Angel, Michael. Dean is his one true vessel."
"Vessel?"
"Like a demon possession." Sam explained. "Unlike demons, though, Angels just have to have permission."
Castiel nodded.
"Ah," Liz said, trying to digest the information.
"Anyway, Dean is very important to Heaven. But if he says yes and allows Michael to take over his body, then war will rage and the Earth will burn."
Liz opened her mouth, "So it's a bad thing."
"Yep!" Sam chimed in, still watching the building.
Liz grabbed her hair and pulled it into a quick side pony tail. She absently pulled on the tail as she continued to work it out. "And you wanted to help Dean, to… keep saying no?"
Castiel nodded again, clearly pleased that she understood. Sam looked over his shoulder, smirking. It was obvious that Castiel was comfortable with Liz. Sam liked her too. She was very comfortable to talk to, and she seemed to take big information in stride.
"I chose to help Dean in his cause because I believe that he can stop this war."
Sam bit his lip.
"By himself?"
"That is why he has me," Castiel said with absolute certainty. "So he will not be by himself."
"Wait!" Liz sat up straight and stared out the passenger window. "There she is!" Liz pointed, effectively cutting off any more conversation.
Sam stilled as the black Sudan pulled up next to the curb and stopped, a pair of brown boots hitting the street and splashing in the slush. The demon stood, long brown hair tucked under a purple beanie and wearing a red wool coat. She slammed the door and Sam was hit with sudden fear.
"Shit, Liz!" Sam exclaimed, throwing himself further down into the truck's seat. On instinct, Liz and Castiel followed suit.
"What!?"
"It's Meg!" Sam insisted to Castiel in the back seat. He popped back up to double check.
"You're right!" He said, dropping back down. "It is Meg."
"Wait," Liz jumped in, eyes flashing back and forth between the two men. "You know her?"
"Yeah, she's a pretty powerful demon."
Castiel took a deep breath, "She's pretty close to Lucifer. I'd go so far as to say she's his number two."
Liz's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, "Oh. Awesome. I attacked Lucifer's best man." She then let out a sound close to a whimper.
Castiel's head tilted to the side. "Was that sarcasm?"
She stilled and gave him a steady look, her voice drenched in sarcasm, "No, I actually think that I'm incredible for taking on the bitch."
Despite the situation, Sam found himself wanting to laugh again.
"I'm going to call Dean. Let's go back to your motel."
Liz nodded and started the engine.
Holding his phone to his ear, Sam heard two rings, a third, half of the fourth, and then a beep for voicemail:
"This is Dean. Leave a message."
"Dean, call me back. Liz's demon was Meg. This is big, dude. Get your ass here. Call me."
Liz's tires spun in the snow for a moment, and then they were off.
"Just trying again. Guess you're still out. Please just tell me you forgot your phone in the car or something."
"This is call number three, Dean. Where are you?"
"Dean. Answer your damn phone. Call me back."
"Dude! It's been three hours since I last called! Where the hell are you?"
"This isn't funny, Dean. Samuel is very worried about you."
"No, Bobby! He's not answering his phone! I don't know what to do."
"Sam, I can't just 'pop to him.' He is hidden from me! Just as you are, but yes I am still looking."
"Boy, your brother is worried about you. And you and I are going to have a talk about leaving him alone after he just relapsed once you get your head out of your ass and call us back."
"Dean, please call or text or something so I know you're okay?"
"Hey, just… trying again."
"I'm all turned around Sam. What's the name of the motel again?" "Red Apple Inn." "Like Snow White?" "Snow White, Bobby? What is this, Disney Land?" "Shut up ya' idjit and get me directions."
"Any luck Cas?" "No, not since you last called fifteen minutes ago."
"Dean. It's me. We really need you to answer. I am beginning to worry."
"…Lisa? Hi, it's Sam? Dean's brother? Yeah, hi. Is he there?"
"Cas, meet me at Lisa Braeden's house. I guess we start looking there."
"Dean, don't worry. I'm going to find you. I'm coming for you. And if you're not lost… I'm going to kill you."
The first time that Dean actually wanted children was the day that he was confronted with the idea that Ben was his son. Despite the kid's attitude, his looks, his taste in cars and music, his freckles and his ability to stay calm under supernatural pressure, Dean believed Lisa when she said that he wasn't his son. But he was kidnapped because he was a vessel.
A vessel.
There was too much of a coincidence there.
But whether or not Ben was actually his son, Dean was damn proud of the kid. He had a cheerful attitude about everything, and he kept everyone talking. Alicia, the black woman, had been there for a week – the only one there longer than Ben. The two priests, Liz's missing priests (the only thing that gave Dean hope about the whole situation would be that somehow Sam would make the connection and worry about Liz's case,) have been there for four days. Claire for three.
And he learned that there used to be more people.
Everyone had been through the red doors. The torture room. Apparently, they were trying to possess vessels, but Heaven had put mojo on all connected vessels: demons are not welcome here, thanks! The mojo might keep a demon out, but apparently it was still a painful ordeal.
Not many people make it past their fifth round.
Ben had already been through two rounds. Dean was once again impressed.
He smiled at something that Father Smith said and took a sip from his water bottle. For demons, they were treating the kid okay. Maybe it was because he was a kid. He always seemed to get more frequent bathroom breaks and an extra slice of ham on his plate for lunch.
When dinner came around, and Dean wasn't given anything, Ben pushed over his roll and extra slice.
He always shared, which made Dean like the kid more.
Down in that basement, on the damp floor, an old hole that Dean had thought he had dealt with for good festered. The hole that could be filled with things like 'mowing the lawn' and 'wife' and 'children.' It intensified and echoed whenever Ben looked at him with big brown eyes.
Then he would look at Claire and realize what could happen to children if they lived his life. Broken, lonely, staring blankly at the ground, and comfortable in handcuffs. The contrast between the two kids told Dean one thing; that hole was one hole that would never be filled.
He was thankful that the demons had yet to realize that Claire was a vessel for Castiel. He was scared that they would use her to get to him, and Castiel, being the honorable bastard that he is, would fly in and try to rescue her – if only on principle.
The last thing Dean needed right now was for Castiel to go and do something stupid.
"So you think whoever took Dean took my Ben, too?" Lisa asked.
They had all congregated in Lisa's living room. Liz and Sam drove the two hours, Castiel had flown in, searching for Dean up until the moment that the two hunters had arrived at Lisa's. Bobby, after driving for half a day, into a snow storm, getting lost, turning around and finally finding Liz's damn motel, had to climb back into his van and keep driving to Lisa's house.
Lisa had been less than happy at the prospect of the rescue crew for her son being missing.
"It is a possibility, but you're the last person to have seen him," Sam moaned. "They could be two completely unrelated things."
Lisa paced. "But it's a possibility, right? That whoever took Dean took my son?"
Castiel blinked. The probability that the two incidents were related was slim, because if Dean was taken, then he would have been taken for the fact that he was Dean Winchester. Ben was just a simple child. But it was still a possibility. "Yes. Although, I do not believe that is so."
Lisa turned to look at him, "I don't know who you are, but my son has been missing for a week. I'm going to hang on to anything I can get."
Castiel nodded, understanding. He had a newfound respect for the woman. "Faith and hope are very powerful things. Hold on to your faith, and God will answer."
Lisa nodded, a little shocked and yet a little reassured.
"Is Bible Study over?" Bobby chimed from his chair, "Because Dean is still missing. What's step one? Where do we start?"
Sam sunk down into the couch and Liz sent him a sympathetic look, "I have no idea."
"The snow from the night before would have covered up any evidence in the ball park from yesterday, if Dean had left any."
"Yeah…"
When Bobby said that he would drive out and help look, Sam was comforted. When Sam had gathered everyone at Lisa's, he had a feeling that everything was going to work out. But, now that everyone was here and they were together, they were no better off than when they were when they were all spread out.
A slow kind of panic spread through Sam. He knew he should have listened to his bad feeling about his brother.
"So, Ben…" Castiel started, well into his second burger and sitting up straight in the motel room. "He is or isn't your son?"
"That's complicated."
"Uncomplicate it."
Dean smirked and popped open a beer can. "He might be my biological son."
"How can you not know?"
The look that Castiel received from the hunter made him lean away for a moment. "His mother told me that he wasn't. I believe her. There isn't a reason that I know of for her to have lied to me. But look at him! He's the spitting image of me when I was ten!" Bobby and Sam both nodded. Liz smirked between the two boys and crossed her legs at the end of the bed, facing Castiel. "Not to mention the kid is a vessel! That is a lot of coincidence."
"So he is your son."
"Lisa said that he-"
"Can I add something?" Liz jumped in, holding up a single finger. "From a…" her eye twitched at the word, "..fan's point of view?"
Dean thought for a moment, and then nodded, obviously curious.
"Okay, I always thought he was your son."
"…really?"
She nodded eagerly. "Lisa, in the books, was described as a woman with a past. A woman that had moved on from her past and was finally happy with who she was."
"Okay, she had done well for herself. Especially considering she was a single mom."
"Exactly," Liz said, leaning forward. "Her biggest concern was her son. She didn't want him to fall into the kind of life she had gotten out of. Ben knowing who his father was would just make him more interested in classic cars and the drifter lifestyle."
"What's your point?" Bobby asked.
She turned to look at him, "I'm saying that there are a big group of readers that believe that Lisa was lying to Dean to protect Ben. She offered for you to stick around for awhile, and when you said 'This isn't my life,' she was described as sad and disappointed. Like she was hoping you had grown out of the life a little bit. Especially after the speech you gave her just moments before about leaving more behind then just your car."
Sam and Dean shared a small look, and Sam leaned on the nightstand with a smirk. "You sure you're not obsessed?"
She frowned, "Shut up." Sam laughed. Dean was smiling.
"Look," Dean started. "It doesn't matter if he's actually mine or not. It's not even a question anymore. He's with us now." He smiled as he stared through the door to where Ben was. "Kid's been through a lot." His smile fell. "He needs a family."
"But weren't you the one that said that it's dangerous for children to live this life and that you wanted me to hide them so they could have a normal life?"
Dean blinked and then gripped Castiel's shoulder, "You're remembering!"
Castiel's eyes widened at the realization. "Yes," He said. "I was down there with you for awhile, wasn't I?"
The hunter nodded.
"This is good!" Sam said excitedly, "You're getting your memories back. What else do you remember?"
Closing his eyes, Castiel pushed at the fog in his memory. There was fire and Dean's eyes and something about not being stupid.
"It's all still… fog," he huffed. He ran his fingers through his hair. This wall was annoying and stupid and he felt useless and limp. Frustration was not his favorite emotion, he decided. His eyes still closed he felt a hand rubbing soothing circles on his back. A peace fell over him, and as soon as the hand lifted the peace was gone. He sat back at the sudden switch of emotion.
"It's okay, Cas." Dean sat back and then stood. "Well I need a break. I'm gonna check on the kids." Castiel watched him leave. He was different.
But he couldn't decide if the difference was better or worse.