Did Dean feel bad for ditching Castiel? Yes. Did he doubt that Castiel would go running to his past self for help? No. Did that numb his guilt? A little.

These were the thoughts that went through his head that night as he tried to sleep. As a demon, Dean didn't need to sleep, no. But, he figured, after a week of being dragged around and in pain, he should sleep.

So, Dean thought about what he'd done as he tried to sleep in his bed at the Men of Letters' bunker.

Wow, you dick, you abandoned him in the forest when you needed you. Doesn't that sound familiar? Oh yeah, because that's exactly what he did to you, back in Purgatory! Remember how much that one stung? And then he abandoned you again! Remember how much that hurt?

Dean groaned. He couldn't go after him, though; there were things that Cas had to go through, as much as Dean hated to put him through them.

Dean covered his face in the pillow as guilt washed over him. He was turning into the exact thing he didn't want to be: a manipulative, mysterious, black-eyed bastard. Well, he wasn't a bastard...but he was a jerk.

"Bitch," he whispered.

Dean drifted off to sleep a couple hours later.

God visited him in his dream. Dean had first met him, as God, back when Amara had tried to go back in time. She hadn't quite achieved what she'd wanted, bringing them back to the alternate universe that Zachariah had zapped Dean back to in 2009. There had been turmoil, three Deans, and Lucifer's death, and Amara repeating what she'd done. She didn't like the archangels very much. And then towards the end, Chuck Shurley had approached Dean and given him the chance to undo it all. Apparently he was God all along.

Currently, they were on the side of the river where Castiel had dissolved. Well, currently that would be is dissolving. They looked on as Castiel waded in from the opposite side of the river, and Sam, Dean, and Bobby watched in horror.

"Castiel is reckless," Chuck sighed.

"Can they see us?" Dean asked.

"No. This is a dream, Dean."

"In real time."

"Yes."

Dean stared at the darkening waters. "I was supposed to stop this," he whispered sadly.

"Somewhere out there you did," Chuck assured him.

"What, in some other universe?" Dean asked.

Chuck nodded. "Dean, you mustn't worry about this failure. There is still time to do what you've come to do. And then if you fail again, we'll find a way to make it better." Dean sighed.

Across the water, Dean picked up Castiel's trench coat sadly. He, Sam, and Bobby started walking away.

Chuck made his way down to the shoreline. He fished around in the water until he pulled out a tanned hand. Connected to the hand was a tattered, white dress shirt; connected to that was a shoulder; connected to that was an exhausted-looking Castiel. Chuck heaved him onto the shore, where Castiel lay, unmoving.

"Someone will find him, take him to a hospital. He'll be diagnosed with amnesia. No one will be the wiser about this entire situation," Chuck told him.

Dean stared at the passed-out angel.

"And, Dean, I told you to keep your mission hush-hush. I've wiped the memories of your past self and everyone whom he told about you of all information about you. Keep this secret this time."

"Yessir."

With that, Dean woke up.

Do any of you share the headcanon that Chuck is God? It's a pretty universally accepted headcanon among the fandom.