Disclaimer – I don't own anything, unfortunately. I wish I did but I don't. Each character belongs to their respected (highly respected) owner.

Chapter Three – Beginnings

Dean was in shock.

"Sammy's alive?" He heard himself repeat for the third time.

He was having trouble believing what he had just heard and some part of him didn't want to believe it because, if he did, it meant that he had broken his promise to his brother. A heavy weight seemed to hit him then, a weight of guilt.

For three years he'd believed that his brother had sacrificed himself for all of humanity, leaving everyone behind in one final blaze of glory. Abandoning him. He had felt an immense amount of hate that was directed towards Sam. He'd escaped everything even if he was in hell. Dean tried to get rid of the thoughts, the anger. It wasn't like him to be so bitter but things had changed and he'd changed along with them.

"Dean," Castiel spoke softly and Dean was compelled to look up. "We have to find him. He's very important."

Dean bit back a retort for, in his mind, he knew that Sammy had always been the important one. That's why he'd risked his life again and again to help his brother and he knew that he'd do it again. It was as much a part of him as his sarcasm and razor sharp wit. The words his father had spoken on that fateful night so many years ago were still stuck in his mind, almost like a mantra. Take your brother outside as fast as you can! Don't look back! NOW, DEAN, GO!

"Where do we look?" Dean said, his tone devoid of emotion as he began the task of leaving.

He moved with a familiar rhythm around the room, packing everything up as quickly as he had set it out. All his weapons were secured in a matter of minutes and his meagre amount of clothing was ready and waiting.

"I...we don't know," Castiel said after a moment.

Dean gave him a harsh look. "I thought you knew everything."

It was Castiel's turn to sigh as he walked towards him. "He still has the Enochian symbols on his skeleton, rendering him impossible to find. If it had been that simple we would have found him and left you out of this."

Dean almost did a double take. "You were never going to tell me that he was alive, were you, Cas."

Castiel looked at him squarely in the eye. "You were never supposed to know. This was a gift to the both of you. We hoped that you would feel as if a burden had been lifted and that you could get on with your life. We never expected you to do what you have done."

Dean clenched his fists and took several deep breaths. Lisa's face flashed through his mind, her sad smile followed by an echo of her screams. He shook his head in an all too familiar gesture before hefting his bags over his shoulder.

"Let's go," he said, walking out of the room, not waiting for Castiel's reply.

His car was sitting in front of his motel room and he was surprised to see that it was looking cleaner than it had in a long time. Ever since he'd lost Sammy, the Impala was more of a constant reminder of his failure and his enjoyment of driving it had diminished some. Yet, seeing it here, looking clean and almost normal, made him feel a little more alive than he had in years. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture he'd picked up from years of watching his brother do the same.

He knew Castiel was watching him and he wondered if he had been keeping an eye on him this whole time. He walked over to the Impala and shoved his bag in the back as he slid into the driver's seat. Castiel slowly got into the passenger side, looking somewhat weary as he did so.

Dean, sensing where the weariness was coming from sighed. "I'm not going to punch you, Cas. I might have a year ago, hell maybe a week ago but it's not worth it."

Castiel nodded but Dean was certain that he didn't understand.

"So, how are we going to find him if you can't work your mojo on him?" Dean asked, pulling out onto the empty street.

"I don't know."

"Look, Cas, you're not giving me much to go on here," Dean said, while trying to think through ways to look for Sam.

"We were hoping that you might have an idea of what he might do, where he might go. Even though he does not remember who he is there will still be parts of his, psyche, that will lead him towards certain places, jobs maybe," Castiel said.

Dean looked over at the angel, studying his profile for a moment.

"You've changed, Cas," he murmured after a moment.

"Yes. You have changed as well, Dean. You are a lot...darker," he replied after a moment.

Dean nodded in agreement. "That tends to happen when your whole family is taken from you. Every. Last. One."

He knew that he wasn't being fair but the knowledge that Sammy was alive had shaken him more than he cared to admit. He had seen too many people that he loved die. Hell, he'd seen his brother die more times that he could believe. Now, here he was, looking for his brother who wouldn't know him anymore.

"Yes," Castiel replied simply. "We cannot change that and we don't have time to dwell on it. We need to find Sam before Meg does."

Upon hearing that name Dean jerked hard on the wheel, nearly ploughing into an oncoming logging truck who blared a loud horn at him. Dean pulled back into his own lane and pulled off to the side.

"Meg is after him? Meg, as in evil bitch from hell, Meg? Azazel's daughter?"

"She is one of them. There are still some of Lilith's and Azazel's people about and they would love nothing more than to get their revenge."

Dean swore under his breath. "I'm never going to be free of this, am I?"

"Dean. I wish I didn't have to ask you to do this but it's in your blood. You are destined to continue down this path."

Shrugging his shoulders Dean directed his car onto the road again. A familiar feeling washed over him. It was a sense of doing something right and it was a feeling that he had not had in a long time. He had a sense of purpose.

Glancing in the rear view mirror he was almost surprised to see that there was a vehicle following him.

"Feels like old times," Dean said, sighing as Castiel glanced behind them.

"Demon," he confirmed.

To be continued...

A/N – sorry for the lack of updates. Bogged down with course work. Also, sorry for the short chapter as I am going off for a couple of days. Hope you enjoy.