Thanks Shadow Cat17 for reviewing the last chapter! Only one review? Awww...

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.

Dean hadn't been a key part of this memory but he had overheard it- or reading lips, was more like it. He had been watching away from a distance and then intervened later on.

"You're Dean's friend, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I am," Castiel nodded.

"Okay," Sam said. "He…"

"Yes, Sam?" Castiel encouraged.

"He's different when it comes to you," Sam said and Castiel smiled softly.

"Thank you for saying so," Castiel said.

"I didn't say it was a good thing," Sam added hastily. Castiel inhaled deeply and then released his breath.

"Is there something you would like to know about me?" Castiel asked.

"What are you?" Sam asked. "Dean says you're not a human…"

"But you're not a demon either," another voice mimed with Sam right next to Dean. Dean jumped and looked to his left.

"Alistair," Dean growled. "What the fuck are you doing here? How are you here?"

"Dean, Dean, Dean," Alistair smirked. "I own your soul, remember? It's not that hard to find you… after all, I have to keep tabs on my… investment." Dean risked a glance at Sam and Castiel again. Despite knowing it was a memory and he hadn't found the real Sam yet, he still felt like he had to protect the memory.

"You're running out of time," Alistair reminded him, his smirk broad across his face. Dean's hands clenched into fists.

"Get the fuck out of my memories," Dean snapped.

"As you wish," Alistair taunted, disappearing from the memory.

"-learn that?" Sam was asking.

"I have been alive for a long time," Castiel answered.

"Why won't you tell me what you are?" Sam persisted.

"I do not think you would believe me yet," Castiel said. "Why don't you ask me what's really on your mind?" Sam looked surprised and Dean couldn't blame him. Castiel had used that tactic on him the first few times before Dean finally figured out that angels could read minds.

"Is my brother in love with you?" Sam blurted out. Castiel looked into Sam's eyes. The youngest Winchester swallowed.

"I do not know," Castiel admitted.

"Do… you love him?" Sam asked.

"I-" Dean didn't get to hear Castiel's answer as he was taken by time again and thrown into its black abyss.

His head was pounding as he tried to regain consciousness. He heard someone saying something but he couldn't open his eyes. He tried to block out everything but it only served for a bigger headache and then finally he could hear clearly.

"Hey, dude, you alright?" the voice sounded familiar but Dean couldn't quite place it. Dean groaned and rolled over, realizing he was in his own clothes, thankfully, instead of his birthday suit. He opened his eyes, trying to make the pain in his head go away.

"I've been better," Dean said. "Where am I?"

"Stanford University," the stranger said. Dean frowned. Why did that voice sound so familiar? "You must have gotten pretty smashed, huh?"

"What the hell am I doing at… did you say Stanford?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I did," Dean finally turned to look at the person talking.

"Sam?"

"Uh, yeah," Sam said, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, have we met before? I don't remember meeting you before…Do we have a class together or something?" And this didn't make any sense because, despite Dean's ability to travel in time, this wasn't one of Dean's memories to travel back to. Dean shouldn't be able to go anywhere that wasn't in a memory because Sam was supposed to be in a memory.

Had he finally found Sam?

"You- I- you're Sam Winchester," Dean said.

"Yeah," Sam said, looking really uncomfortable.

"You're telling me you have no idea who I am?" Dean asked.

"Should I?" Sam asked. Dean's mouth dropped.

"Dude, I'm your brother!"