Chapter Seven
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"Cass, it's good to see you again," Sam smiled, completely unaware of the angel's incredulity.
Castiel stared at the younger Winchester as if he'd seen a ghost.
How was this possible? Who was powerful enough to open the Cage and get Sam out, and unlike the previous timeline with his soul intact?
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Even for Castiel, it was blatantly obvious that this sunnier Sam had nothing in common with the soulless version of before.
"Sam. I have to say, I'm a little taken aback. How did you manage to escape the Cage?"
"You're not going to believe this, Cass, but Death turned up and got Sam out," Dean explained, a huge grin on his face.
"Death? Well, that is good news, though he must surely have a reason for his generosity. "
Dean frowned. "He thinks there's something weird going on and he wants us to find out if anything is."
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"Uh, well, I'll leave you to your reunion. There's something urgent I have to attend to."
With that, the angel disappeared with a whoosh of wings.
"Huh, even for Cass, that's weird, " Dean said.
"Yeah, " Sam agreed, pulling on his pants. "But then, weird and Cass are practically synonyms."
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Transporting himself to a nearby park, Castiel couldn't believe his bad luck.
What the damn was Death sticking his nose in for? The Grim Reaper didn't usually meddle in human affairs. Dean had said Death felt something was wrong, but how was that possible? This was a new timeline, no being should have sensed anything different.
Just then a familiar voice spoke up. "It didn't quite go as you planned, Castiel. Sorry about that."
Castiel stared at Chuck. "Did you interfere with this?"
Chuck flopped down on the park bench at Castiel's side. "Nope. Cross my heart and hope to die. Death acted on his own initiative. I had nothing to do with Sam's return. Maybe you just picked the wrong moment to offer your services to a grieving Dean, 'cos he seemed pretty happy to me."
"This is completely unfair," Castiel complained. "Death had no reason to do what he did. If it wasn't for him, Sam would still be in the Cage and my plan to comfort Dean would have worked."
"Hm. Maybe, maybe not. Even without Sam around, Dean might not bond with you as you'd wish."
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"Dean is Michael's vessel, he has more in common with me than with Sam."
Chuck clicked his tongue. "I think you're mistaken, Castiel. Dean will never love anyone as he loves his brother. I don't think that love would ever be transferred to you whether Sam is alive or dead.
So, ready to go back to the graveyard and continue with the end of the world? This little experiment didn't work out."
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"You have to give me another chance, Chuck. Dean didn't follow the script. In the original timeline, he stayed with Liza for an entire year. I left him to mourn for a while, but he was already gone when I went to the woman's home."
"I'm sorry, Castiel, but you picked the time and place to enter the timeline. I can't help it if Dean made a different decision."
"You assured me things would be exactly the same," Castiel argued, "and they weren't. I deserve another chance."
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Chuck pretended to think about it. To be honest, he was enjoying the game, and effectively, Castiel did make a valid point. Dean HAD acted differently.
At the same time, however, Chuck pondered Castiel's egoism. The angel wasn't in the least sympathetic to the Sam of this timeline. The younger Winchester had been freed from the Cage without the suffering of before.
To a true friend, Sam's welfare should have made Castiel happy.
In this reality, if things continued, life would be infinitely better for both brothers but that didn't seem to influence the angel in the slightest.
"Okay," Chuck agreed. "I can get behind your complaint. I'll give you another chance, but are you sure you don't want to remain in this timeline? It might benefit you too."
"Dean will never be free until Sam is gone, " Castiel declared. "He spends all his time fussing over his brother. I want to try again."
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In the blink of an eye, Castiel found himself once more in the dark graveyard of the original timeline, but Chuck had stilled all movement.
As for the Sam and Dean of the alternate timeline, they were no more.
"I'll give you a few minutes to decide where and when to go back to, Cass. If you take too long, the deal's off," Chuck warned.
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With a nod, Castiel acknowledged God's words and began pondering where he could jump in to be sure of getting rid of Sam.
The younger Winchester had been kidnapped, separated from his brother, and imprisoned multiple times but the angel wanted to pick a moment when he was certain there would be no mistake in getting him out of Dean's life.
Chuck had told him Sam wasn't to be killed, for he was fond of both Winchesters.
But as the angel considered his options, he realized that Sam had practically always been saved in one way or another, even when Castiel himself wasn't around.
Perhaps he should go back to the very beginning before Dean ever got the chance to become attached to his brother.
He could spirit the child Sam away, leave him on the steps of some convent or hospital. That way he'd be adopted by another family and Dean would never connect with him in the first place.
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Castiel nodded imperceptibly. He'd wait until Azazel visited Sam's nursery. That way things would develop as before. John Winchester would seek vengeance for his wife's death and Dean would still be brought up in the Life, with an open mind towards the supernatural and eventually to …angels.
But even here he'd have to be careful. If Sam went missing on Dean's watch he'd blame himself for the rest of his days. That would be counter-productive.
No, he'd have to snatch Sam when he was with his father or left with a carer.
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The few years he'd have to wait for Dean to reach adulthood were nothing to a millennium-old angel. He'd become Dean's best friend and confidante. Maybe he'd save Dean's life, always a good way to bolster trust and friendship.
The angel hummed in satisfaction. He'd go back to just after Azazel's visit, follow the Winchesters around, and act when the moment was right...
"Castiel…?" Chuck's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Have you decided yet?"
"Yes."
A moment later Castiel was standing not far from a burning house and in the distance, he could make out John Winchester sitting on the hood of the Impala, his young sons huddled in his arms.
The angel watched impassively as the firefighters tackled the blaze. This time everything would work out as it should.
TBC
