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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 22

A Red Headed Woman

From Chapter 21

Not once did Sam open his eyes during the entire encounter. Castiel smiled in the dark. The Angel could have cleaned them up with a wave of his hand but he wanted Sam to have no place to hide. He went to get a damp wash cloth and some towels. As he rose he flipped on the light and Sam threw his arm over his eyes. The angel knew exactly what he was doing. There would be no way that Sam could pretend this had never happened.

Chapter 22

It was early morning and Sam stood in the parking lot of their motel loading up their possessions. The trunk was wide open exposing the Devil's trap painted on the underside that turned the space into a lockbox. No demons allowed. It was a sign much like Beware of the Dog and more effective

Dawn was just breaking and there was no one around to take a peak. Sam tossed in the duffels and looked up when he heard the door of the room close. Castiel locked the door and turned to the office, intent on returning the key. Sam watched the Angel walk away and thought about this being as his lover. Strange times, strange lives, the Hunter mused.

They were a little over five hours away from Bobby's place, taking I-90 straight across the state. Sam figured they'd make a pit stop in Chamberlain at the Missouri River cross over and be back in time for dinner. It would be a nice leisurely ride and Sam planned on spending the time finding out exactly what the other Heaven had planned for Dean. Sam wanted to know what was so bad that Castiel would reject his home, take Dean and run through both time and space to avoid the event.

Sam, being Sam, wasn't satisfied with vague fears and unformed threats. He wanted hard data. He wanted something that would fit like a piece of a jig saw puzzle into the world he knew. As a Mystic he knew there were many things unseen in the world but to him they all made a single picture of his place in the universe. He could and did accept visions and angels; demons and pagan Gods but they were all part of a cohesive world. This was a world that Sam could manipulate and control. Castiel's Heaven and Castiel's collapsed time line had not yet been blended into Sam's cosmos. There would be time to learn as long as the Angel stayed put. No flitting away to avoid Sam's curiosity.

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Bobby threw open the door and stepped out onto the porch, looking for a pack of ten year olds. He hadn't heard any noise for at least fifteen minutes and that was never a good sign around kids.

Jerry's mother had dropped him and Kerman on Bobby's steps Friday evening after Sam and Cas had taken off for Rapid City. Dean had almost burst waiting for his friends to show up. Mrs. Boswell had informed Jerry that it wasn't nice to show up at someone's house at dinner time if you weren't invited specifically to eat so Dean had to hold it in until almost eight o'clock. The boys didn't show up until after sunset so they set off immediately for Dean's room. Kerman brought his video games and extra controllers and all Bobby heard for the rest of the night was shouting and the crash of electronic guns.

Kerman may have brought the entertainment but Jerry brought the snacks. Bobby decided he wasn't some kind of snacks monitor so he didn't even try to inspect the contents of the brown paper shopping bag the kid brought in with him. If they all ate themselves into a sugar high Bobby was pretty sure they all would learn a lesson the next morning. The man was planning on bouncing their butts out of the room around eight A.M. and then sending them all outside on a Saturday morning parts hunt.

At midnight Friday Bobby stuck his head in Dean's bedroom door and told them all to get ready for bed. It was going to be lights out in half an hour and if they didn't do it themselves the old man was going to go pull the fuses from the box and shut them down. He didn't threaten, he didn't yell. He just told them what was going to happen and left it up to Dean to pull everyone in line. Needless to say, Bobby had no problem and if he heard giggling from a dark room he ignored it and went to bed himself.

Bobby lay back on this pillow with his arms folded under his head. He stared into the dark and adjusted to the idea of having a family in the house. It felt good. He had been alone for far too long. He should have known better. The Winchesters had saved him from himself. Now that he looked back on the past decade he recognized that he had been slowly turning into Rufus. Rufus had lived alone, had discouraged visitors in a definite way and had to be bribed to open his door. The only thing different was that Bobby did answer his phone and he had opened his door to Sam and company.

He remembered when John used to drop Sam off to wait out a Hunt too dangerous to take the boy with him. Of course, that only lasted until Sam was big enough to not get knocked on his ass by the recoil of a shotgun. He remembered how it was like having a little ghost in the house. The boy never cried or argued or made any noise. Bobby hoped that whatever else was going on, wherever else Sam might be, he was at least laughing.

Now Bobby was standing out on the porch Saturday afternoon looking for Dean and Dean's guests. He couldn't hear anything at first and then there was this odd ringing noise. He cast around trying to locate where the noise was coming from and watched as Rumsfeld tossed herself off the hood of the pickup truck and galloped off down the driveway. The dog was barking but she was barking her goofy 'hey look what I found' welcoming kind of bark. The ringing noise got closer and Bobby saw a little girl riding a pink bike with streamers and a bike bell pedaling her way up the slight incline with Rumsfeld loping beside her, tongue hanging out barking happy woofs.

Bobby smiled down at this unexpected visitor and the little girl smiled back, her braces sparkling in the sun.

"Let me guess," Bobby said. "Would you be Megan Keller?"

"Yes, I am," she answered and huffed her fringe of red hair out of her eyes. "Is Dean home?"

"Why, he's around here somewhere," Bobby answered. "Would you like to come in out of the sun? You look a little warm. Maybe you'd like some lemonade too?"

Megan carefully laid her bike against Bobby's stair railing and then patted Rumsfeld's head.

"She's a nice dog. What's her name?" Megan began to climb the stairs. She was tired and a little sweaty but Bobby knew a determined woman when he saw one. Dean was in so much trouble if he thought he was going to dodge Megan for very long. Diana the Huntress had nothing on this girl.

He held the door open and let Megan and Rumsfeld into the cool shade of the house. "Her name's Rumsfeld. I forget if she's Rumsfeld three or four." Bobby said. "I name all my dogs Rumsfeld and sometime I lose count."

Megan eyed Bobby, made a decision and then stuck out her hand. "I'm Megan Keller. Who are you?" She solemnly shook Bobby's hand.

"I'm Bobby Singer, Dean's Grand Dad. Please to meet you, Megan Keller. The kitchen's this way. It's where I keep the lemonade."

Bobby made sure that Megan was all set up with Rumsfeld at her feet and a glass of Lemonade in her hand.

"I was just setting up for lunch." Bobby told her. "I'll set an extra place for you if you would like some chili and cornbread. I have to go find those boys and get them in here and cleaned up." Bobby stopped for a moment with the extra bowl in his hand. "Did you know that Kerman and Jerry were over here this weekend?"

"Yes," Megan answered. "Jerry told me at school that they were coming over here. He said I should try to come over and that dean would be glad to see me."

Bobby nodded his head. "Huh, Jerry told you that did he? I see. Well, I better go get those boys before lunch gets cold."

"Can I help?" Megan said, putting down her empty glass carefully.

"Yes, you can," Bobby replied. "Fill up the glasses with lemonade for me and stir the chili if I don't come back for a while. I don't know where those boys have gotten to but I'll find them. Come on Rumsfeld." Bobby left Megan in charge of lunch and went looking for the boy pack.

Out on the porch again Bobby still didn't hear anything so he went down into the yard and started walking to the back end of the property where most of the cars were parked. As he rounded the garage he finally heard the sound of boy's voices. It seemed to be a serious discussion going on. They were shouting or playing. It sounded very much like they were taking Bobby's parts list pretty seriously. Bobby smiled. It was most likely Dean's influence. Dean liked the parts hunts. They made him feel useful.

Rumsfeld woofed and Dean' answered back. "Hey Rumsfeld, what's up?"

"Talking to the dog now, are you?" Bobby called. "Come on guys, lunch's on the table and we have a guest. I understand that Jerry invited her."

Bobby heard Dean's growl. "What did you do asshole?"

Finally Bobby turned a corner and there were the three boys. Dean was pushing his way into Jerry's personal space and Jerry was smiling down at Dean. "Come on, Winchester. Be nice to your girlfriend."

"Cut it out, Dean." Bobby ordered. "Come on. She's a nice girl and I'm telling you, you could do a lot worse. Of course, you're a little young but I can tell she's got her brand on you already. You might as well learn to like it."

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Zachariah strode the halls of power; his four faces, the lion, the ox, the man and the eagle, watched in all directions at once. His four wings swept the walls. He turned into a vacant and long unused audience chamber. Gathered there were the soldiers of one of Earth's garrisons. They were all soldiers of the Lord. They all had their duties to perform. They sang praise in greeting. Their voices raised high in the dome and hopefully were pleasing to the Lord.

They were brothers and no one was to be exalted above the rest but, in truth, they were mundane angels. None had more than two wings and none was as impressive as Zachariah. They bowed again to Zachariah and he focused on their garrison commander, an angel called Castiel. The commander had a duty to lead the garrison, he had been named God's Angel of Thursday and he had been long noted for his obedience.

"Castiel," Zachariah intoned as he sat on a marble cube at the base of the stairs. "Why have you been seen on Earth talking to humans? Why did you take a vessel to do so? You know these things have been forbidden for over two thousand years."

Castiel strode forward and bowed before the Seraph. "Brother," Castile replied. "I have not done any of these things. I know they are forbidden. There must be some mistake."

"My thinking exactly," Zachariah said. "Although the information was received through a channel which has been reliable for many years.; I do not understand either, brother."

Castiel stood at attention, awaiting orders to proceed. Zachariah knew the soldier was perfectly capable of standing there, awaiting orders, until all of Earth's oceans ran dry.

"Brother," Zachariah said. "I think you should look into this matter yourself. You have a dependable second in command, I assume."

"Yes," Castiel responded. "Rachael is more than capable of commanding the garrison."

Zachariah nodded in agreement. "Good. Then I suggest that you are to go to Earth, to the place you were seen and talk to this Pastor Gentry of Sioux Falls, South Dakota who reported your appearance in his prayers. He is a good man. Please find his error and return to me. I will report your findings to the upper choir. Good hunting."

This was how the Angel Castiel was authorized to visit Earth; to appear before a human and even speak to the man. He was to search out the Pastor Gentry's error and attempt to reveal the meaning of such an odd report. He extended his wings and disappeared.