"But…how?"

Dean didn't know how to react. His body locked up and his eyes remained fixed on the statue. It was without a doubt the spitting image of Cas. Hannah, who was not surprisingly unmoved by it all, looked down at her hands which were clasped together. Dean finally turned to her. "Can someone explain what's going on here?"

"Perhaps it would be simpler if I let Castiel himself tell you."

Dean held his breath. "What?"

"Here."

Hannah opened her hands. She raised a finger up to the statue and summoned a gelatinous blue ball, somewhere around the stone face. It hovered down to their level and she held it out to Dean. It was the size of a baseball and wiggled as it were a thin casing around liquid.

"What is that?"

"A collection of memories. Castiel intended them for you."

Dean was even more confused now, if that was possible. His open mouth twisted to form words but none came out. Instead, Hannah lifted the ball up to Dean's head. "Relax."

"Wha?"

The ball opened up atop his head and a warm liquid rushed over his body. He shivered from the strange sensation as it covered every inch of him, somehow staying against his skin. Then his eyes closed without warning. The liquid went into his ears. The sight and sound of the room he had stood in vanished, leaving him in a warm, weird darkness.

"This is a message for you," a familiar voice said. Dean struggled to open his eyes and suddenly saw Cas, wearing a white gown just like the statue, and two beautiful translucent wings on his back.

"Cas?"

"I do not know how you are called now, but surely you are who I believe you to be."

Dean moved out of the way and realized that he was just watching a recording of Cas, since he didn't react to anything he said or did.

"Surely you do not remember me, and I do not remember you, but I assume we have been reunited. I am going to show you who you are and why you are important to me and all of Kaz, but I have a request…" Cas bowed his head. "Please do not tell the current form of me who I am."

Dean couldn't help but answer, "Okay," even though the representation of Cas didn't hear him. He stood his ground in the darkness and listened to Cas carefully.

The angel turned around, and suddenly out of the darkness came an image. It was a small, primitive village. "This is Lawrence before it was called Lawrence. This is where we met. This is…here, please watch."

Dean stepped forward so he could get a better view of the image and Cas's form disappeared. The little town was moving. It grew closer and closer until Dean was standing on the ground. People passed through him. This was just another recorded memory. Cas, the angel with his gown and his wings, suddenly walked into the picture. He was standing straight and walking with urgency. A young woman followed him.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Is Lawrence going to die?"

"I do not know," said Cas.

"But if you are an angel, can't you heal him?"

"Not all matters work in such ways."

Seeing Cas like that was upsetting to Dean. He was so cold, so feelingless. Was that the real Castiel?

"Are you going to see him?" the woman asked.

"Yes. Now."

The angel continued on as the woman walked away. He passed a few houses and went into the biggest one in the village. The furnishes were little more than a table and bed. In the bed was a man. A man who looked remarkably like Dean.

"Lawrence," Cas said, his voice suddenly changing. Dean stepped around and saw the deep love and affection beaming in Cas' eyes that Dean knew so well. That was the real Castiel.

"Cas…"

The man in the bed tried to sit up. Dean's attention went to him now, where he gawked and gasped at what seemed to be his clone.

"I bring terrible news," said Cas. He knelt beside the bed and took Lawrence's hand in his. "He has put this on you."

"But why me?" Lawrence coughed.

"Because, my love—and I am pleased to announce I have discovered this as well—There is a special strength to your soul that can permeate the difference between our world and the one that the Dark Lord hails from."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you and you alone can destroy him."

Lawrence frowned. "But he's going to kill me before I get the change, huh?"

A somber nod came from the angel. His wings were folded sadly on his back and he leaned to give Lawrence a kiss. "All is well, for I have a great plan."

"I'm not surprised," Lawrence said with a smile.

"It is your soul, my darling. Your soul contains the element which can kill the Dark Lord. Even if he curses you in this lifetime, in the next you will still have the power to destroy him."

"O…kay…"

"I will wait until you return. Then, we will take on the Dark Lord."

"How long will that be?" asked Lawrence.

"I do not know," said Cas, looking quite sad. His thumb rubbed over Lawrence's pale hand. "And I cannot let Lord Azazel know of my plan, which is why I am going into hiding after you leave."

"How can an angel hide?"

Cas pressed his lips together. A tear fell from his wobbling blue eyes. "An angel can't, but a human can."

Lawrence gasped. "What? You mean…You mean to tell me—"

"I am sealing away my angelhood. I will hide my spirit until I feel you reincarnate, where my angelic powers will erupt. They will find a place of good merit for me to live. They will change the history of the people living there and convince them that I was born unto them. And then…then we will be together again. I will surely find you. There are signs and ways of bringing our destiny together once more."

The mortal man struggled to take all of this in, meanwhile Dean was having trouble, too. He was starting to figure out everything.

"And, Lawrence, my darling," Cas said, urgently this time, "I have done one more thing, as well…"

"Did you?"

"I have bound our souls."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that…it means that every time you are reincarnated—and once I am human, I will die and reincarnate as well—Our souls shall always meet again, until the end of time."

Lawrence's lower lip wobbled. He sighed and whispered a few things that Dean could not hear, and then the angel leaned down to kiss him. Dean felt a strange, old sadness in him well up and push through his chest. He gasped loudly then let out a cry.

Then, the memory ended.

Darkness came once more, and then Cas' voice.

"I am sure you are asking one thing now, and that is; why did I create this message for you if we would be together again? I will tell you this now, my darling. It is because when you left me, and I took part of the angelhood from my spirit, the feelings of humankind overwhelmed me. I had not expected to be that sad over you death. And that is why, with the last ounce of my angelic powers, I have created this memory for you. Please, Lawrence, whatever you may be called now, do not tell the mortal Castiel of his past. If I remember this, the pain…the pain will be too much. That is why you do not remember your past lives. The pain is…the pain is too much to bear. For now, you must destroy Lord Azazel. You must send him back through the dimensional mirror, never to leave again. Then, we will be together. And we shall be together for all of eternity, in this life and the next…and the next…and the next…and the next…"

Cas' voice faded and Dean found the white hall to reappear around him. Cas' face turned into Hannah's. Dean immediately collapsed onto the floor.

"Sh-shiiit…" he cursed, gasping.

"Are you unwell?" asked Hannah.

"No, I'm…fine, I…I just…I have to kill Lord Azazel…"

"Oh, but Dean, you already have."

Dean paused. He started to get up. "What?"

"When you came into this realm, you pushed Azazel within, too."

"But then he should be here?"

"No, no. Not with your touch. That special element that you have in your soul, the magic Castiel mentioned—it put Azazel where he should be."

"So…" Dean stopped. He held his breath and listened to the emptiness of the hall around him. Castiel's statue continue to stare. "So that's it? It's over?"

Hannah smiled. "Indeed. Now it is time to return to your realm and see what a difference you have made."

A finger reached out to touch Dean's head and in a flash, the great halls were gone. He was sitting on warm grass. The sun was out. Birds were singing. Trees were everywhere. What was this place? It was familiar…

"Dean!"

Sam's voice, for sure. Dean looked around and saw Sam come running out from a house.

"Oh, that's right," Dean said to himself. He was back in the Valley.

"Dean, you're back!" Sam laughed. He crashed down onto the ground and put his arms around his brother. "Did you hear? Lord Azazel is gone! Avalon is back to being the Fairy realm!

"No kidding?" Dean asked, chuckling. Weirder things had happened.

"It's amazing. All of the fairies went back. Well, all of them except for Ruby. And Charlie."

"Where are they?"

"Here."

"And how did you all get here?"

Sam pursed his lips, thinking. "You know, I really have no idea."

Then, the voice that Dean had been waiting to hear.

"Dean!"

He stood up and saw Cas running towards him. His heart melted. This was the real Cas, not a memory or a hallucination. They embraced. It had been too long. They kissed.

"Oh, Dean! Everything is going to be okay!"

"How's the baby? And the eggs?"

"Wonderful," said Cas. "And, and, isn't it incredible? We're back in the Valley! Gadreel is here, and Gabriel, and Tessa! It's a miracle. I don't even know how to explain it…Dean?"

"Hm?"

Cas looked a little worried. "Is there…is there something you need to tell me?"

Dean smiled warmly, staring into Cas' eyes. He thought about how much Cas had given up to be with him and to save Kaz. He remembered the promise, too.

"Yeah," said Dean. "I need to tell you how much I love you, and how much I'm looking forward to spending lifetimes together with you."

Cas chuckled. "We're only alive this one time, Dean."

"Right," he corrected, smiling more. They kissed again, then Dean squeezed him tight and touched their heads together. "Right."