Author's Note: So this was originally going to be a Cas/OC, but then Andrea went and introduced herself to Walker, and I'm also considering just leaving romance out of it all together. She may well be kick-ass enough as it is. ;-) Anyway, I'm sure you'll know as soon as I decide where this is going.

After this I have two chapters backwritten, but after that I'm not sure what the update schedule will be like. Just bear with me please!

Chapter 6: In Which a Reassured Wanderer Becomes a Padawan

"Do or do not, there is no try."

Somewhere out in the middle of the woods in Montana, I burst out laughing and dropped the stick which I had been trying to levitate. "Jesus, Walker, I didn't even think you had seen those movies."

Miraculously, my companion kept a straight face. "Regardless, you need to stop trying to do it and just do it. You can, it's just mental barriers holding you back."

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better." I closed my eyes and focused as hard as I could. In a sensation that I was slowly becoming accustomed to, I felt a warm strength pooling in my chest as I pictured lifting the stick. In a sudden movement, I threw out my arm and released the energy. Walker and I watched in silence as the stick rose fifty feet in the air and sailed out of sight. When I realized that it truly wasn't coming back, I groaned and whipped around. "Stop that!" My teacher was doubled up with laughter.

A burning red anger flared inside me, the likes of which I had never before experienced. The force of it gripped me and I twisted the fingers of my outstretched arm without realizing what I was doing.

"An- Andrea-" I slammed back to myself and released the energy. Walker immediately dropped from his pinned position against a large tree. He fell unsteadily to one knee, eyes wide, and shook his head. "That was vengeance."

"Oh my God, Walker, I'm so… I'm… so…" the world was spinning around me as I tried to stagger over and see if he was OK. "What…"

"Stop." Suddenly he was right in front of me gripping my shoulders to keep me upright. "Andrea, just stand still a minute." My head lolled to a resting position and he peered into my eyes and further, into my spirit, as I often suspected he was capable of doing. A tense sort of relief spread across his face. "Andrea, listen to me. I don't know what triggered that, but most spirits would have been strengthened by it. This is a good sign."

"I'm glad you think so," I muttered, trying to stay conscious while not dry heaving all over Walker. Most ghosts could afford the luxury of overextending because they would remain tied to their body or possessions, but I had no idea where I would end up if I blacked out. Hanging over my head was that half-heard whisper of "all the way downstairs" which one of the angels had saved me from.

I realized that Walker was carrying me, though I had no memory of being picked up. The sunlight got a little brighter and then disappeared entirely and I knew that we must be back at the house. Up the rickety stairs, right turn, through the creaky door and I was lying on my own bed. I had never been more grateful for the iron filings in the mattress because I had no strength left to exert any kind of presence. In fact, I had probably faded to invisibility to all but other spirits as soon as the vengeance had hit.

"Rest," Walker murmured. I barely saw him sit down in a nearby chair before I couldn't help it anymore; I blacked out.

"Andrea?"

"Nnnnnnggghhhhhhh." I willed myself back into existence for a few minutes and was relieved to see that I was still in my room. On the nightstand by my head were the few positions I had accumulated in the month or so that I had been with Walker. At least, it was a month before I blacked out. I had no idea how long it had been now.

The little piece of paper with my current address rested under a smooth river rock, the first object I had successfully levitated. There was also a picture of me and Walker in the woods, though we appeared only as vague smudges of ourselves.

"Andrea?" the concerned voice asked again. I rolled my face into my pillow and didn't respond. "Miss Fosters?"

"Please don't call me that," I groaned, repeating an exchange which had happened dozens of times in my first few days at the house.

"You can sleep again in a minute. I just wanted to ask if you need anything."

I already felt myself slipping back to unconsciousness, though I felt that 'sleep' was a bit of an overstatement. I was just returning to my natural state of being dead for a few hours. Or days. Whatever.

I did think of something that could make me feel better, though. "Cas," I whimpered a little pathetically. "I want to see Cas."

"'Cas'?" Walker inquired, but it was too late. Everything went black again.

I snapped back to awareness so fast that I felt like my soul got whiplash. "WHABAHUH!" I yelled cleverly as I jumped to my feet and held my hands up in a cheesy karate pose. "Who- who are you?"

There was a man sitting on my bed. More specifically, there was an angel in a tan trench coat sitting on my bed, and the last piece of my dream suddenly clicked into place. Though his vessel was handsome with his ruffled dark hair, I could see that his true celestial form was cramped up inside. I pointed to him, since he didn't seem interested in starting a conversation himself, and asked "Is that comfortable?"

He held up his arms and examined them. "Surprisingly so." He looked up suddenly. "Can you see my true form?"

I shrugged and finally noticed Walker leaning in the doorway, a stupid grin plastered across his face. He gestured at the angel in response to my "What the Hell?" expression.

"Cas!" I blinked. "You asked to see Cas. I had to call the Winchesters, and then they had to get a hold of him, and then they had to convince him to come see you." I blinked again and Walker took a second try at explaining. "Castiel? The angel that you met in heaven? He goes by Cas, and you asked to see him. You were extraordinarily tired, you may not remember."

I slowly turned so that I was facing both men. Castiel tilted his head and scrutinized me, which wasn't making me feel any more comfortable. "So… this is awkward." I cleared my throat and tried not to start laughing or crying or maybe both. "My dog from when I was alive. His name is Casper. I called him Cas." I watched in pity and mild amusement as the self-satisfied smile slowly slid from Walker's face and he just gaped at me. "Sorry for not being more clear."

"Fascinating," Castiel said, and I realized that he hadn't heard a word I had said. He was too busy staring creepily at me. "There's incredible power in that position, I suppose, which is why they were so interested in you. And a connection, of course. And the ability to see deeper…" All of this was muttered thoughtfully to the light in the middle of the ceiling.

I snapped my fingers, careful not to trigger the associated shape-shifting power. The one time I had succeeded in altering my appearance, I had immediately crumpled up like I must have during the crash. Needless to say it was extremely unpleasant and not an experience I wished to repeat.

The angel startled at the noise. "Well, Castiel. I'm, um, glad that you're OK. Why was Zachariah so angry at you?"

He finally seemed to completely engage. "Oh. You were the one who was there when it happened."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry that you had to see that." Castiel sighed and leaned forward wearily. "Heaven wasn't always so… chaotic. The apocalypse isn't helping. If I could only find God…"

I wasn't sure how to comfort an angel who was losing his faith, so I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject. "So you seemed surprised that I could see your true form?"

Castiel roused himself and stood as Walker raised an eyebrow. "You can see his true form?"

"Of course. Can't you?" My teacher shook his head and a few of my assumptions about being a spirit fell away and were replaced with questions. "Well, you can see souls, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"In a living person. I can see their soul, like a little ball of energy right next to their heart. Sometimes it can tell me things about them."

"Fascinating," Castiel repeated. "All of this is because of your association with the Men of Letters, of course."

"The who?" I asked as the same time as Walker made some sort of non-verbal exclamation.

"The Men of Letters," the angel prompted again. When I still didn't understand, he nodded. "I can see that you don't know. Unfortunately, I am currently on a very important and time-sensitive mission. I have no time to explain at the moment. I will return within the month and alert the Winchesters to the problem. Meanwhile, continue to hone your abilities." His true form glowed suddenly and he disappeared with a noise like fluttering wings.

"Well, that was incredibly helpful," I finally said. The strange revelation about these "Men of Letters" had been more curious than informative; I still had no idea who they were or what my connection to them was. I also didn't know how many of my spiritual abilities were completely unique. I turned to Walker and was surprised to see him glaring at me suspiciously. "What?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said sarcastically. "Maybe it's to do with the fact that an angel just said that you have an 'association' with a secret organization of people who devote their lives to picking apart anything supernatural."

I sighed. "Clearly you know more than I do. Can we just talk? I want to know what's so different about me, and I want to you to tell me whatever you know about these people."

"If that is what you wish." Walker turned and walked stiffly out of my room and down the stairs.

Groaning inwardly, I made to follow him. While Walker had started out as an acquaintance and a teacher, we had grown to become friends. When he wasn't teaching me to levitate objects and control my effect on electronics, we would walk the town and talk about our past experiences. Without Cas or Rod or my other friends from the newspaper, the thought of alienating my only friend was not a pleasant one.