Snippets One Hundred Fourteen: Memories

        The angel stared into the slightly glazed eyes of the young teenager laying on the ground beside him.  The hazel eyes stared into his blues ones and a sudden glimmer of recognition passed over his face.

        “Cas?”

        ‘Father?  What do I do?’

        ‘He needs this right now.  Give him strength to fight, my Son.  He is badly injured.  Stop the bleeding and let him believe in you.’

        “Yes, Dean.  I am Castiel.  You remember me,’ the angel replied with more of a surprised statement than a question in his voice.

        “How do I know you?”

        “I watched over you when you were little,” Cas spoke softly as he pulled back the jacket and saw the wound.  The bullet had punctured a lung.  The boy was going to  bleed out before another human could help him.

        “Are you an angel?”  Dean had surprised disbelief in his voice as he started having difficulty breathing.

        ‘Father, I have no choice.’

        ‘I know, Son.  I am giving you free will here.  He must not die and he must not remember.’ 

      

        ‘Thank You, Father.’

        “Why did you leave me?”

        “You no longer believe in me, Dean,” the angel spoke softly as he placed a hand on the wound.

        The younger Winchester gasped and bit down on his bottom lip to stifle the scream.  A light surrounded him for a small second and the pain was gone.  He took a deep breath and looked up at the man in the trench coat with questions in his eyes.

        He placed a finger on the boy’s forehead and watch him go limp.  The memories of the moment were gone.

        “I never left you, Dean.  You left me,” Castiel said sadly.

Snippets One Hundred Thirteen: Hunting

       Thanksgiving had passed quietly.  Dean managed to get a chicken dinner from a nearby restaurant.  John drank two bottles of whiskey.  Sam stayed in his room, reading and doing homework. 

       Dean tried to help his Dad get to bed. The man had been crying for over thirty minutes.  John’s older son attempted to help him rise.  Suddenly, the man shoved the teen hard.  The boy landed on the coffee table and skid across it to the floor.

       “Dad, you’re not feeling well.  You drank too much.  Let me help you go to bed?  Please!”

       “You think you can tell me how to do things, Boy?”

       “No, Sir.  I’m just trying to help you get some sleep.”

       “I’m tired of you telling me what I ought to do.  Get your gun,” John growled at his son.

       “What?”

       “Damn it, Dean!  I said get your gun!”

       Dean ran to his duffel and grabbed his pistol.  He was frightened but would not let his father or brother see it.  Sam had run into the room.

       “Go to bed, Sammy,” the older boy told him.  “It’s not safe to be in here right now.”

       "Dean!”

       “Go to bed, Sammy.”

       Sam Winchester watched his brother follow their drunken father out of the motel room.  The sound of the Impala leaving the parking space made him panic. 

       Den sat in the passenger seat, terrified.  His father drove out of town and out into the forested areas of the community. 

       He told Dean there had been a large number of animals dying in the area.  Their throats were cut and the bodies drained of blood.  John ordered his son to take the lead

       Dean had no idea what he was looking for.  His father had mentioned no hunts in the area.  He could hear the man stumbling behind him. 

       After fifteen minutes and no sign of any danger, Dean was contemplating asking his Dad to take them home.  He could tell the man was losing his ability to concentrate.  The man was swaying as he walked. 

       “Dad?”  Dean heard some crashing sound behind him.  He turned and saw his father in the underbrush.  The man tripped and his gun went off.

       Castiel had been in Canada helping a priest when Father told him to go help Dean.  The angel was gone in a second.

       The forest was silent after the gunshot.  The angel spotted two bodies on the ground.  One reeked of alcohol.  The other had the smell of blood.

       “Dean!”

       Dean’s eyes opened for a second and he stared into cerulean blue ones.

       “Who?” the boy whispered.

       The angel was speechless.

Learning Dean Winchester: Chapter Three

        Sam sat on the porch for several hours, marveling at the angel’s patience.  Castiel had not come looking for him.  Curiosity got the better of the man as he rose and entered the house.

        Checking out the kitchen, the hunter took a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and walked to the rear of the cabin and his brother’s room.  He stopped when he heard voices.

        “Relax, Dean.  Drink some of this water so you can swallow this pill.”

        “Damn it, Cas,” came a soft, hoarse voice.  “It hurts.”

        “I know.  The fever does not help.  Drink this.” 

        Sam heard silence for a minute or so.

        “Thank you, Cas.  I’m so thirsty.”

        “We have to take it slow, Dean.”

        “Why don’t you just zap me with some of your mojo?”

        Sam entered, “Because he wants me to grow up and understand all there is to know about you.”

        Dean’s flushed face turned towards his brother.  His glazed eyes tried to focus clearly on the figure standing in the doorway.

        “What?”    

        “I am going to put an end to the feuding, Dean.  Sam needs to learn you.”

        “I don’t understand.”   

        “I didn’t expect you to, Dean,” Sam commented.  The young hunter watch his older brother wince in pain and gasp sharply.

        “What the hell does that mean, Sammy?”

        “You can damn well quit calling me that.  I’m not seven anymore.”

        Green eyes stared up in confusion as he fought to keep his breathing calmed down.  Castiel stood up and walked over to the younger brother.  I suggest you go and get some decent rest.”

        Sam turned and walked out of the room.  He heard his brother speaking softly to the angel.

        “What does he think I did wrong this time, Cas?”  There was fear and sadness in the voice. 

        Shaking his head, Sam entered the bedroom nearest to the front of the house.  He took a shower, laid down and fell asleep.

Snippets One Hundred Twelve: 1992

        Four years passed, with Castiel doing more jobs away from Dean.  Sometimes, he would sneak around to check on the boy.  He did not like Dean’s attitude.  The boy was showing some cockiness and was definitely becoming a smartass.  The angel wanted to know why. 

        John was training the boy more intricate parts of being a hunter.  Sam was being taught the basics.  When John was gone, Dean stayed close to his brother, keeping an eye on him. 

        The angel noted how the boy was idolizing his father.  He frowned with worry, trying to focus on why.  The angel sat on the ground where Dean was was watching girls and smiling.  Sam sat next to him, leaning against a tree in the park, with a large book in front of him.

        ‘Why are they here instead of Bobby's?  Father?’

        ‘John Winchester believes Dean is capable of handling things now.  Dean likes that his parent treats him more like an adult. ‘

        ‘Why has his attitude changed?’

        ‘He hides his hurts and fears with the sarcasm and cockiness.  It is a defense mechanism.  John Winchester is still drinking.  He can be harsh.  Words cut like knives and Dean is very sensitive.  He needs his father.  Home is important.  Sam and John are all he has.  He will take any abuse and still worship the man.  I am sorry, Castiel.  You cannot change this.’

        The angel watched the two boys, tears unknowingly going down his face.

Learning Dean Winchester: Chapter Two

        Sam turned and stared.  They were in a large room with log walls with a massive beamed ceiling.  A roaring fire in the large rock fireplace gave out heat and hominess. 

        He walked to the door and stepped out onto a large covered porch with rocking chairs and a table inviting him to sit and stare at a wonderful view.  The house was on a mountain with a lake in the distance.

        The Impala was parked beside the cabin. This reminded him of Dean.  He went back into the house and began to search.  There was a large, well-stocked kitchen.  There was a bath off the hallway and three bedrooms.  Dean lay on a bed in the Master.  Castiel sat on a chair beside him.

        Sam entered and stared his brother, who was still drugged from the surgery.  The I.V. had been removed.  A medical kit contained the drugs and supplies that would be needed.  Looking at the angel from his taller height, Sam frowned.

        “Are you going to heal him so we can get out of here?”

        “No, I am not.  The time has come for you to face your issues, Sam.”

        “My issues?”

        “Yes.  I am sorry you have to go through this, but I am even more sorry Dean has to suffer because of it.  If I healed him, you would not learn.”

        “Learn what?”

        “Your brother, Sam.”

        “My what?”

        “I do not believe you are deaf, Sam, and I know how intelligent you are.  We are going to spend some time learning why Dean Winchester is what he is.  I am actually surprised you never bothered before this, but you will now.”

        The angel watched the younger brother walk out of the bedroom and go sit on the porch.

        The smell of the trees and sound of the wind blowing, soothed the younger Winchester.  He reflected on his anger and how he wanted out.  Maybe.  Maybe it would not hurt to listen.  He could still leave.

Learning Dean Winchester: Chapter One

        Sam woke to the sound of his cell ringing.  He picked up the phone and looked at the time on it.  The younger Winchester sat up, turned on the lamp, and answered, “Dean?  Where the hell are you?  It’s 3:50 in the morning!”

        “Sammy?”

        “Dean?  Are you all right?”

        “No, Sammy.  I need you.  Please.  Come get me,” came a soft, whispery voice.

        “Okay, where you?  Where does your latest one-nighter live?”

        “Not there, Sammy.  I’m on a road.  I can’t drive any further.  I’m hurt bad.”

        “Is your gps on?”

        “Yeah.  Hurry, Sam.  I’m not doing good.  I can’t stop the bleeding.”

        “What?  Okay.  I’ll be there as fast I can.”

        Sam hung up the phone, dressed and looked for the items that  would be needed to stop whatever bleeding Dean had.  He made sure the med kit was full and left the motel room.  He found a van at the end and broke into the vehicle and hot-wired it. 

        It took fifteen minutes to locate his brother.  The car was on a dirt road outside of town.  Sam pulled his gun out as he left the stolen van. 

        He opened the driver’s door of the Impala.  Dean was unconscious.  Turning on the overhead light, he saw a large cut in Dean’s abdomen and inhaled at the amount of blood. 

        Working to stop the bleeding, he wrapped tape around a large pad and used a belt to tighten the pressure on the wound.  He slowly moved the man over to the passenger side and drove the Impala towards town.  He called Garth and asked for a hunter’s doctor.

        Garth came back to him with a doctor who lived on the other side of town.   Sam was grateful that the other man had called and paved the way.

Dean moaned and Sam glanced over.  It was too dark to tell if the man was okay.  He figured any sound was good at this point.  Frustration mounted as the younger hunter tried to figure out how his sibling had managed to turn a one night stand into such an injury. 

        The doctor was standing outside of his clinic with a gurney.  The two men worked to place the injured man onto the equipment and rolled him inside the building.

        “What happened to him,” the physician asked.

        “I have no idea.  He had a date, if you know what I mean,” Sam replied in disgust.

        “Girlfriend?”

       “I doubt he knew her more than thirty minutes before he took her out.”

        “Ahhh.  Let’s see the damage,” the man responded as he undid the bandages.

        “He’s slit open. Cara, prepare 101 for surgery, please.”  Sam looked up as a woman in jeans and t-shirt entered.  She looked at the situation and ran towards the back to prepare.

        “Cara?” Sam asked.

        “My nurse.  Damned good one too.”

        Sam stood there as the nurse returned and helped the doctor take Dean towards the back.  Sam told them Dean’s blood type and went to sit in the waiting room. 

        Time passed slowly and Sam dozed off.

        At 8:15, the doctor woke the taller man.

        “How is he, Doc?”      

 

        “You need to find a place to stay awhile.  The cut was deep and I had to do some repair work.  The muscle will take time to heal.  No hunting or any extraneous movements.  He has to take it easy.  I’d say for at least three or four weeks.”

        “Are you serious?  With Bobby Singer dead, there’s no one who can make him stay still,” Sam ran his fingers through his long hair.  “Damn it!”

        “There must be someone he will listen to?”

        “Cas, maybe.  If I can find him.”

        “Good.  He can’t stay here.  This is a clinic.  You need to find a place and take him there.”

        The clinic door opened and a man in an over-sized trench coat walked in.

        “I have a place where he can stay, Sam.  Let’s remove him.”

        Before anyone knew what was happening, Castiel, Sam, Dean, and the Impala were gone.

Learning Dean Winchester: Prologue

        Sam Winchester sat in the diner across from his brother, watching the man stuff food into his mouth and hitting on a pretty blond waitress.  The younger brother was frustrated and angry.   He wanted out. 

        His list of reasons grew longer every day.  The Dean who returned from Purgatory was worse than the Dean who was sent there.  Sam saw no reason to have to continue his existence living and hunting with is big brother.  He wanted other things.  Most of all he wanted out from under the burden of Dean.

        Sam looked up as Dean went to pay for the meal.  The older man turned and winked at him.  Sam sighed.  There was no telling what time the man would return to their room.   Standing and stretching his tall frame, the younger hunter nodded and walked out of the restaurant.  It was a half mile hike back to the motel and the weather was growing colder.  He looked at roiling clouds in the sky and thought, ‘Snow or ice?’

        The good thing for him was no brother tonight.   Sam smiled softly and walked faster.