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The Supernatural characters belong to Kripke Enterprises and the CW, not me. No money is being made from this story. It is for entertainment only.
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A Wandering Boy
Chapter 19
Home Life
From Chapter 18
Slowly he lowered himself down and tried not to flinch away when Castiel reached over and tugged him on his side. Now face to face Sam tried to relax; he truly did but this closeness was still something strange to him. Castiel ran his fingers soothingly through Sam's soft hair and rested his forehead against Sam's. They were so close that their breath mingled. Sam closed his eyes and felt a soft kiss tickle over his lips. Then each eyelid was kissed in turn and Castiel ran his hands up and down the long muscles of the Hunter's back, soothing and smoothing the tension away.
Again Sam was listening to Castiel's soft murmuring and the Angel wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Sam felt protected and safe. Slowly his tension slipped away, his muscles loosened and he fell asleep rocked in the arms of his Angel.
Chapter 19
Early morning at Singer Savage and Dean was awake but not technically up. He was still yawning and stretching in his warm, comfortable bed under a fat, cozy comforter. The house was full of silence but the stupid birds were raising a ruckus right outside his window. He couldn't smell coffee so Bobby was most likely still asleep. He had time to luxuriate in the sensation of nothing to do. Such moments were rare and Dean hoarded the feeling like pirate's treasure.
He dozed lightly and in his mind he heard a vaguely threatening voice call out "Get up boy. You can't waste the day. Get up right now…" He didn't know if it was a dream or a memory but it didn't matter. The sound of Bobby's bedroom door opening and the man's feet shuffling in the hall pushed the other man's voice out of the way. The memory popped like a soap bubble. The voice was lost in a barely remembered dream and Dean was happy again.
Bobby tapped on the door then stuck his head in. "Dean, I think Sam and Castiel will be back this morning. I'm going to go make waffles and bacon. If you want to get out in front of the herd you might want to get to the kitchen pretty snappy." The door clicked close and he listened to Bobby moving off down the hall.
The boy sat up and stretched his arms up and out. The comforter pooled in his lap and he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Once he slid down on the floor Sam's t-shirt that he was wearing as a sleep shirt fell all the way to his knees. He had P.J.s but liked Sam's shirt better. It was soft and comfortable and, to tell the truth, smelled just a little bit like Sam still.
After padding around then grabbing and pulling on a pair of socks from his dresser he decided to go down to the kitchen and see if he could hurry those waffles along. He thought he'd try to get his fair share before Sam showed up and inhaled them all. Sam was a big guy and it took an awful lot of waffles to fill him up.
Dean wondered how the hunt had gone. If something bad had happened he was sure that Bobby would have told him. If either of his new Dads were hurt Bobby would have wanted to prepare Dean for what was to come. Northing had been said so Dean assumed everything was all right.
Bobby's kitchen was warming up and good smells were developing nicely. Dean climbed up on his chair and knelt there, leaning his elbows on the table, hands clasped together, and watched every move that Bobby made like a hawk. One day he was planning to surprise his family with breakfast. He thought maybe it would be a good birthday surprise. He would ask Castiel to find out Sam and Bobby's birthdays for him. Castiel was perfect. He wouldn't know why he was asking and the other men would just assume it was just Castiel being weird in that Castiel way he had.
He wondered if Angels had birthdays too. That thought led naturally to another. "Hey, Bobby," Dean said. "Do you know when my birthday is?"
Bobby turned around, holding the bowl of waffle batter in one arm while continuing to stir with the other.
"According to the papers we gave your school your birthday is January 24th," Bobby answered. "That makes you an Aquarius."
Dean interested himself in moving around the stuff on the table. "What's an Aquarius?" he asked.
Bobby laughed. "You aren't the first guy to ask that question. It's an Astrological sign; a way of dividing people up by their birthdays. There are twelve of them and they have been around for as long as humans have watched the skies. Some people called the Babylonians invented the ones we use. Lots of people believe that your sign determines what kind of guy you are going to be and some even claim to be able to tell your future by drawing what they call astrologic charts based on your birth."
"Other people call astrology old superstitious magic and call anyone who believes in the charts a gullible fool." Bobby turned back around and put the bowl down on the counter. He checked the heat on the waffle griddle by sprinkling the surface with the dripping spoon. "Each person can take his chances and lay down his bets.'
Bobby shrugged. "Makes no never mind to me. It's just a sign."
"If I tell people I'm an Aquarius person," Dean asked slowly, "What will they expect me to be like?"
Bobby paused. "Give me a minute. I haven't thought about the sun-signs for a while, me not giving them much importance. As I remember Aquarius is a very free-spirited, unpredictable sign. People with that sun-sign can be pretty emotional. Aquarians will often change their mind about certain things, as the mood suits them. They are likable and friendly."
"Is that what I'm like, Bobby?" Dean asked.
"Hard to tell kid," Bobby smiled. "You're still growing into your personality. I think we'll just have to wait and see what kind of man you grow up to be. But, like I said, kid, I don't hold much with the Astrological signs. They cut a little too much into the gift of Free Will for me."
"What about Sam?" Dean asked, drawing pictures in some salt he spilled on a dish
Bobbly laughed. "Sam is May 2, a Taurus. That makes him a bull; in a single word, stubborn. Other Taurus traits are dependable, loyal, persistent, generous and patient. He is also possessive, self-indulging and materialistic,"
"I don't know what some of those things are, Bobby." Dean said.
"I know kid. Don't worry about it. Sam's a good guy." Bobby poured some batter on the griddle.
"What about you? What about Cas?" Dean went on.
"Enough kid," bobby answered. "You just get ready for school. I'm sure they have stuff to teach you too."
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It had been very early in the morning when Sam and Castiel awoke in the motel outside of Sisseton. In the light of the false dawn Sam had moved around the room packing up as Castiel watched. Just as the sun poked up above the horizon and the birds started their morning chorus in earnest the Hunters closed the door of the room and got into the Impala.
As the big engine of the muscle car rumbled its way awake Sam asked "What do you want to do, Cas? Sioux Falls is less than three hours away. Do we want to stop for breakfast or should we just wait until we get to Bobby's?"
Castiel smiled at Sam's courtesy. "You know that it is not a matter for me. I really don't need to eat at all. It's completely up to you to decide if you want to wait or not."
"Fine, if I feel the need to stop I will." Sam replied and then fiddled with the heat. He knew intellectually that the Angel needed none of these human comforts but Sam had decided long ago to treat Castiel like another human. Constantly making adjustments based on what he thought the Angel might want or need was a fairly unless exercise. Until Castiel made a request Sam would try not to second guess the Seraph's desires.
Occasionally Sam felt that Castiel was not as immune to emotion as he let on. Little incidents like the apple pie last night made Sam believe that the Angel was mourning parts of his old life.
"Castiel," Sam started hesitantly "I've been wondering about a few things and since we're going to in this car for a while I thought I'd bring them up."
"What do you want to know, Sam?" Castiel replied.
"Sometimes I think that maybe you are more human than other Angels. Am I right? I think that they would be perfectly capable of coming down from Heaven and wiping me, Bobby and Dean off the face of the Earth if it would help them get to you. Why are you going to such lengths to protect us from them? Isn't heaven your natural place in the world? I thought the other Angels were your brothers?" Sam didn't seem to be stopping to breath.
"That is a lot of complicated questions, Sam, " Castiel replied. "First of all, certain prior experiences have changed me. I am not longer an obedient soldier. My refusal to follow Heaven's commands would cause the other Angels in this universe to see me as corrupted beyond redemption by that perceived disobedience
"I was sent on a mission long ago and that mission changed me irretrievably. I rescued the Righteous Man from Hell and then made him disappear, disrupting the hierarchy's plans for Earthly paradise. I caused the collapse of an entire reality to hide Dean from heaven. These things alone mandate my death."
"You are wrong though. Heaven would not kill either Dean or you. The two of you are vital pieces in their plan. I am the grit in the wheel. I do not believe that their plan is God's plan and I will stand with men against the Host. If they were to take you or Dean the use they would put you to would be horrible. I believe that my instructions come directly from God. My Father has disengaged from this battle and waits for men to defend themselves. His only interference in the battle was to allow me to continue existing on humanity's side."
"Well," Sam responded "That's a lot more high minded than I expected the answer to be. I still want to know however why you seem to be interested in seducing me. How does that fit into the grand plan?"
Sam spotted a likely looking diner up ahead and decided to pull into the lot. When he parked he turned to Castiel intending to pursue the answer to his last question and was somewhat surprised to find the Angel smiling at him.
"The Righteous Man taught me the value of human love, Sam. I learned how souls on Earth can become bonded to each other through physical contact. This is a gift, a blessing if you like, from God to humanity. Angels cannot even imagine such a thing. It escapes their understanding. It is yet another way that I have been changed through my interaction with humans and yet another reason for the Angels to see me as corrupted beyond redemption. If I can change, perhaps they can too. This is yet another form of rebellion. It would mean that they were not the perfect creations they believe themselves to be."
"Wait a minute," Sam, said suddenly. "You learned physical love from the righteous Man? I thought Dean was the child who would grow into the Righteous Man. You cannot mean what I think you mean. I would condemn you for that along with the Angels."
"No, Sam." Castiel turned away and looked out the passenger window. "I loved the Righteous Man. I did not meet him in the other world until after he was grown and was cast into Hell by the machinations of angels and demons working toward the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. It was after I rescued Dean from hell that we grew closer together in that other life. When I realized the inevitable conflict to come to that world I traveled in time to take Dean away and shelter him and, by the way, you also, from unimaginable suffering."
"You gave him up to save him, me and the entire human world?" Sam whispered. "Now the only one who is suffering for that loss is you."
""Yes, Sam.' Castiel answered. "Better that I suffer than all of you. I have lost him forever. It is as if he never existed. The only memory of him left is mine. That is all I have."
The Angel turned back. "I am not alone, however. The other one who suffered that loss is you. Because I took your brother away you grew up in solitude. The evil that your brother kept away from you in the other timeline crushed you here. Alone, unprotected, you still survived. I see in you those experiences that made Dean into The Righteous Man. How could I not want to be near all that is left of him?"
Sam sat silently and considered what the Angel had said. Finally he opened his door and got out. Sam moved to the front of the Impala and waited for Castiel to follow.
Once inside and seated Sam finally spoke, "I believe I understand now and I hope that I can give you back even a small portion of what you have sacrificed. Your world, your friends, brothers and lover all destroyed in a single action. And if Angels really never die you faced the likelihood that this pain will go on forever, like a wound that never heals. Even then you still made the sacrifice."
"From now on I will give you such comfort as I am able. Our small family hardly replaces the one you have lost but it is all I can offer you."
The two friends sat quietly and looked at the future.