"Go see who it is, Dean," John signaled.

Opening the door, Dean looked confusedly at the man standing there dressed in a worn trenchcoat.

He was even more confused when the guy smiled at him.

"Dean Winchester. It is...good...to see you."

At the words, Dean's confusion morphed into alarm. How did this stranger know his name, and moreover pronounce it with all the informality of an old friend?

"Do not be alarmed," the dude continued. "I am here to help you. To look out for you."

:

"Dean! What's going on?" John took up a stance at his son's back, a gun gripped in his hand.

A frown creased his brow as he caught a glimpse of the unknown man on the doorstep.

"You must be Dean's father," the stranger declared. "We have never met but I know we will have a lot in common."

:

Castiel's eyes refocused on Dean as if to emphasize who the object of that commonality might be.

Although the guy seemed inoffensive, John felt the hackles on his neck rising as if he were facing an enemy.

John usually shot first and asked questions later when it came to monsters, but as he couldn't be sure if the person on the doorstep was one, he refrained from putting a bullet through its brain.

He had no way of knowing that nothing he did could harm an angel but if he had known, he'd have been even more uneasy.

:

Just then, from inside the room, another person appeared in the doorway, his tall frame inching over both John and Dean, hazel eyes filled with curiosity about the two hunters and anyone who might frequent them.

The 'No!" of denial that erupted from Castiel's lips at the reality of Sam Winchester standing there, combined with the utterly surprised expression on his face might have been considered amusing. But almost immediately it was replaced with anger at having once again been denied his desire to have Dean for himself without Sam demanding all of Dean's love and attention.

How could this have happened? His plan was perfect, yet here was Sam, standing at his brother's back as if he'd always been there.

:

Castiel tried to calm himself even if all he wanted to do was reach out, place his hand on Sam's forehead, and send him off to the bottom of the seas, never to be seen again.

"Nah uh," a familiar voice at his shoulder sentenced. "You know the rules, Castiel. You can't get rid of Sam through murder. I'm afraid you've failed again."

:

The Winchesters, the motel, and the landscape disappeared. Only Castiel and Chuck remained surrounded by thick mist.

"How could I have failed?" Castiel lamented. "This time I planned everything to perfection. Sam grew up in a foreign country. It was impossible for him to have met the Winchesters."

"I'll tell you why," Chuck replied. "Sam and Dean will always find each other. It's their destiny. Whatever you come up with, it can never work. You, Castiel, on the other hand, are only one among angels.

You may believe you are special but you're not.

Just because you happened to be the first angel to reach Dean in Hell doesn't give you any special bond with him. It was a mere coincidence.

Uriel was right at your back. It could easily have been him who grabbed hold of Dean."

:

"Give me one more chance," Castiel pleaded. "I'll get it right the next time."

"You know what, Castiel? You're your own worst enemy. You've witnessed firsthand the love Sam and Dean have for each other, a love that challenges even Death. Yet you're arrogant enough to believe that Dean would abandon his brother for you."

"But…"

"Enough! Although it was amusing to watch you try and sever a bond that cannot be broken, my patience has a limit."

:

Castiel found himself back in the Cemetery where Sam and Dean were standing proud, side by side, iron railings gripped in their hands, the only weapons at their disposal to ward off the army of undead that had risen from the open graves.

He took one last lingering look at Dean before transporting away. Dean would never be his. Castiel understood that now. He would return to the place of his origin… Heaven and meditate on how desire and envy are not the stuff of angels.

:

The Winchesters were fighting a losing battle, their combined forces no threat to the all-powerful god.

Chuck would save the world or he'd destroy it. Only time would tell.

The End