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Dean didn’t let himself feel anything until it was over. Sam tried to no avail to get Dean to talk. “If I talk about it now,” Dean had said, “I won’t be able to focus on anything else.” Sam let it go for the time being.
But it was over.
Chuck was gone.
Everyone was back.
And it was time to talk about it.
Sam knocked before he entered Dean’s room. Dean was on his bed drinking a beer and listening to music. He didn’t look up, but he moved one headphone back in acknowledgment of Sam’s entrance.
Sam sat on the edge of the bed. “Dean,” he said, “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but there’s something you didn’t tell me,” he paused for a second, “And it’s not healthy to bottle things up, so please talk to me.”
Dean didn’t say anything at first. He just kept staring at nothing. Eventually, he turned his music off and removed his headphones. He still didn’t look at Sam, but he finally spoke. It wasn’t anything more than a whisper. “He loved me, Sam.”
Sam wasn’t an idiot, he knew “he” was Cas, and he’d been watching the two of them interacting for twelve years. Cas being in love with Dean wasn’t that much of a shock. What was a shock was that Dean finally knew.
“When did you find out,” Sam asked.
“Right before he died,” Dean swiped at his nose, “He said that just letting himself say it was his genuine happiness.”
Sam nodded, “How do you feel about it?”
Dean snapped his head to Sam, “My best friend told me he loved me then died. How the fuck do you think I feel abou it?”
Sam held his hands up. He looked over at Dean’s desk chair. His jacket hadn’t moved from the back of the chair since they beat Chuck. The stain on the shoulder was hard to ignore. Sam pointed at it, “Is that why you haven’t washed that?”
“That’s all I have left, Sam.” Dean shook his head. “I can’t give it up. Not yet.”
“Maybe we can get him back,” Sam said, “We’ve gotten him out of the Empty before.”
“It’s not the same this time, Sam,” Dean replied, “He made a deal. His life for Jack’s. You know how hard it is to get out of a deal.”
Sam shook his head, “There’s gotta be something.”
“There’s not, Sam,” Dean snapped. He exhaled and put his head in his hands, “He’s gone for good this time.”
Sam didn’t bring up the topic again. Instead, he let Dean throw himself into hunts. If Dean wanted a distraction, he could have a distraction. Sam hoped that Dean was finding some way to work through everything, but he knew that was unrealistic.
Sam was scanning news reports, looking for something that could be considered freaky when his phone went off.
He looked at the caller ID before answering, “Hey, Claire. What’s up?”
“A satanic cult,” Claire answered, “Kaia and I were investigating some cult-like activity in Salina, but I think it might be more than we can handle.”
“And you wanna know if we can lend a hand?”
“Only if you’re free. You’re closer than Jody, so I figured I’d call you first.”
Sam sighed, “I’ve actually been looking for a case. I’ll get Dean and Jack and we’ll be there in two hours.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Claire said, “I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Claire,” he said before hanging up.
So, a satanic cult. That might cheer Dean up a little.
---
Two hours later, Dean pulled into a parking spot at the motel Claire sent them. As soon as the car was in park, she walked outside with a big grin on her face. Kaia walked out after her sporting a matching smile.
“Hey, guys,” Claire said as she walked toward them.
“Hey, yourself,” Sam replied.
Claire walked right past him and pulled Dean into a hug. The shock was visible on Dean’s face, but he quickly hugged her back. She pulled back a little and said something Sam couldn’t make out. Dean’s face fell for a moment before he smiled at her and pulled her into another hug.
Sam looked over to Jack and Kaia, who were catching up since the last time they had seen each other. Between them and Dean and Claire, it almost felt right. But it wasn’t. There was an unignorable gap. An emptiness that Sam couldn’t help but focus on.
Claire finally pulled away from Dean and turned toward to walk into the room, “I’ll fill you in inside.”
Sam nodded and followed. Inside, there were dozens of newspaper clippings posted on the walls. Each of them had similar headlines. A local person was found mutilated in abandoned warehouses. Police think it could be a serial killer. Sam scanned the images in each article. It looked demonic in nature but it could just be some crazy person.
Claire handed him a file of the victims. “Two people every year found two weeks apart going back seven years. This year’s first victim was found almost seven days ago, so we still have a little time to find and stop whoever’s doing this.”
Sam nodded, “Any relations between victims?”
Kaia shook her head, “Not as far as we can tell. Some are criminals, some are school teachers, some are pagans, some are some are Christian, so on and so forth.”
Dean huffed a little, “Any leads?”
Kaia nodded, “We think we have a location for a main base, but we don’t know how many people would be there.”
Claire continued, “We didn’t want to get outnumbered, which is why we called you.”
Dean clapped once, “Let’s get on the road then. Don’t wanna give them time to move.”
Everyone nodded and walked out.
Jack stopped Same before he got to the car, “I’m gonna ride over with Claire and Kaia.”
Sam was a little confused but decided not to press, “Okay, see you when we get there.”
Jack smiled and got in Claire’s car.
Dean looked over when Sam got in the car, “Jack say what that’s about?”
Sam shook his head, “I didn’t ask. We should probably encourage him spending time with people around his own age.”
Dean snorted, “Sam, he’s only 3 years old.”
---
No one was there.
“Damnit,” Claire said, “They must have caught onto us and cleared out.”
“They might accelerate their schedule if they think someone’s onto them,” Dean said.
“Hey,” Jack said to get everyone’s attention, “Look at this.”
He was looking at a bunch of papers in a drawer. Each paper had something about one of the victims. Yearbook pictures, newspapers, college papers.
Kaia picked one up, “I think I know who’s next.”
“Did you find a pattern,” Sam asked.
“No,” Kaia replied, “This guy isn’t on our list.” She handed Sam the newspaper clipping, no picture, “Connor Abrams, local history teacher at Central High School. This is about some after school program he started for at risk youth.”
“We should get to him before they do,” Sam said, “Maybe we can flush them out.”
Clarie nodded, “We can talk to him at the school tomorrow.”
---
Back at the hotel, Sam and Claire were reviewing the old cases, trying to find a pattern. Sam looked up from the files. Jack and Kaia were asleep on one bed and Dean was asleep on the other. Sam looked over to Claire. Realistically, Sam knows that Claire is the daughter of Cas’s vessel, but he’s always caught off guard by how much she looks like him.
Sam cleared his throat, “How you doing, Claire?”
She kept scanning the files, “What d’you mean?”
“I mean,” he paused, not quite sure how to proceed, “I mean with Cas being, well, you know,” he sighed, “How are you?”
Claire looked up. She stared at Sam for a second. “I miss him,” she said finally, “It was really weird getting to know him at first because he has my dad’s face, but he tried to be there.” Claire looked back down to a file. “I think he felt guilty for everything that happened to my dad. I told him once that I didn’t blame him anymore, but I know he didn’t believe me.”
Sam looked at her, “You don’t blame Cas anymore?” Last he checked, she did.
She shrugged, “Consent freely given is the whole thing with angels, right? At the end of the day, my dad made a choice. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t know it would end his life. He knew the risks and he made his decision.”
Sam nodded, “That’s a good point.”
“I know,” Claire smirked, “I practiced it in the mirror.”
Sam laughed, “It was really mature.”
“Almost as if I’m, you know,” she waved a hand in a vague gesture, “An adult.”
“Okay, I understand the sarcasm, but remember, you were only 12 when we met you.”
Claire laughed. She went back to looking at the case files. Sam still had something on his mind.
“One more question,” he said, “It’s none of my business and you can tell me to fuck off, but what’d you tell Dean earlier?”
Claire looked back up at Sam. She chewed on her lip. Then she sighed and let her shoulders slump. “I told him it was okay to be upset.”
Sam turned around to look at Dean, “You could tell he’s hurting?”
“Yeah,” Claire said, “He’s got the same look my mom had.”
Sam looked at Claire again, “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“I remember when my dad had that look,” Sam sighed, “We should have done something to help you and your mom.”
Claire shook her head, “If you keep telling yourself what could’ve happened, people whose lives you could’ve saved, you end up being given as collateral to a loan shark by your poor choice of a surrogate father.”
Sam smirked, “Or turned into a werewolf?”
Claire nodded, “Or turned into a werewolf.”
Sam laughed, “Seriously, where was I when you got all profound?”
“In a bunker in Kansas,” Claire shrugged, “It’s a pretty good way to miss information.”
“Still though,” Sam said, a little more seriously, “It must have been rough, and we kinda abandoned you to deal with it on your own.”
“You made up for it,” Claire shrugged, “And if my life had gone any different, I probably wouldn’t know Kaia, and that’s not a chance I want to have taken.”
“So you and Kaia are official,” Sam asked.
“Kinda,” Claire said, “I mean, we haven’t had the ‘Are We Girlfriends’ talk yet, but we do travel around the country hunting monsters together, so we’re pretty much exclusive.”
Sam smiled, “Have that talk sooner rather than later, you never know what’ll happen in our line of work.”
“I’ve just been waiting for the right time,” Claire responded, “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that there’s been a lot going on.”
Sam held his hands up in surrender. “You’ve got no judgement from me. I didn’t say anything to Eileen until after she had died, came back, and decided to leave,” Sam said, “But I speak from experience when I say you don’t want to waste time because you don’t know what’s gonna happen next.”
Claire nodded slowly. Then she smiled, “Where was I when you got all profound?”
“Dodging my phone calls so I wouldn’t rat you out to Jody.”
---
Sam and Dean elected they’d be the ones to go get Connor Abrams. Sam loved them, but Jack, Claire, and Kaia couldn’t really pull off being FBI agents like Sam and Dean could. Watching them dress in suits and use fake badges reminded Sam of when he was 22 and wondering how he kept passing as FBI and CDC and Texas Rangers. So Sam and Dean went to the school alone. Dean kept looking down hallways and tapping lockers. He’s been antsy.
“Is it just me, or do all high schools look the same,” Dean asked, “I mean, the exact same tile floors, the concrete walls, the feeling of the color green. How many of these have we been in? They’re all the same.”
Sam stops for a second, “What do you mean by the feeling of the color green?”
Dean looked over at Sam, “Schools feel like the color green.”
“I don’t,” Sam sighed, “Okay.”
They kept walking down a stupidly long hallway until Sam found the room. A sign reading “The door’s always open” was on the door. Dean pointed at it, “Think that applies to us too?”
Sam shrugged, “Don’t see why not.”
Dean pushed the door open and knocked on it while walking in. “Connor Abrams,” he asked.
The man in question was facing away from them. He was shorter than Dean, but still taller than normal, and he had dark hair. The room itself looked like any other class room. The desks were organized in a U formation with a clearing in the center of the room. Sam read once that this was the best arrangement for social studies classrooms, but he couldn’t remember any of his teachers using it. There was one whiteboard in the front of the room, which had assignments and notifications written on it, and another whiteboard on the adjacent wall, facing the door. The man was writing a list of names on it in different colored markers.
“Just a second,” an eerily familiar voice replied. Then he turned around.
Dean went completely still, and Sam wasn’t much better. It’s not possible. There’s no way this was real. Sam looked over at Dean. Dean still hadn’t moved. Sam wasn’t even sure if he had breathed. He was just staring.
“I’m sorry,” the man said, looking very confused, “Can I help you?”
Dean blinked a few times, and released his first breath since the man turned around, barely a whisper, “Cas?”
Cas squinted and tilted his head in confusion, “I’m sorry?”
Sam looked between the two before remembering why they were there. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Are you Connor Abrams,” Sam asked.
He nodded, “I am, what can I do for you?”
Sam reached for his badge, “I’m Agent Ackles, this is Agent Padalecki, FBI. We have reason to believe you’re in danger.”
Cas-no, Connor blinked, “What’s going on?”
“Have you heard about the recent death in the area?”
He nodded, “Yes, of course.”
“We found the killers’ hideout,” Sam said, “And we found an article about you along with pictures and writings about the other victims.”
“And you think I might be the next target,” he asked.
Dean still hasn’t moved. Sam nodded, “We’d like to ask you to come with us.”
“I have one more class today, it starts in fifteen minutes,” he replied, “But I can go with you after.”
“Do you mind if we stick around,” Sam asked, “For safety purposes.”
He nodded, “Of course. Make yourselves comfortable,” he gestured to a few seats in the back of the classroom. Sam nudged Dean and they both sat down. He continued his writing on the board, “Is there anything I can do for you while we wait?”
“Yeah, actually,” Sam said, “Can I show you a few pictures of the other victims? We’re still trying to find a connection.”
He nodded and walked over. Sam pulled out the pictures of the victims. “Do you recognize any of them,” he asked.
Connor squinted at the pictures, “They all look a little familiar, but I can’t place it. I’m sorry.”
“No worries,” Sam put the pictures away. He had an idea, “Maybe getting to know your life can help.”
Connor sat down in the desk in front of Sam, “What do you want to know?”
“Where are you from? Did you grow up in Salina?”
He shook his head, “Garden City, Colorado, actually. Just outside Greeley.”
Sam nodded. Odd. “What about your family?”
He smiled, “Jim and Helen Abrams. They moved out to Florida for retirement a few years ago. My dad was a mechanic and my mom was a nurse.”
“How long have you been teaching here?”
“This is my first year in Salina,” Connor said, “But the kids are great, I can see myself staying here a while.”
Sam frowned, “I read that you started an after school program, so I thought you must have been here longer.”
Connor nodded, “I noticed a few of my students were hanging around in the parking lot hours after school was over. When I asked, they said they didn’t feel comfortable going home yet, so I figured I might as well help them do something productive. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we meet after school for a few hours for a study hall. I help them with anything I know and they help each other with anything I don’t know.” Connor smiled at him, “It’s a good thing you’re here on a Thursday, I never would have cancelled it and you’d have been here for hours.”
Sam smiled at the idea of a teacher caring that much about their students. He was trying to think of something to say to fill the quiet when Dean took the job from him.
“Significant other,” Dean asked.
Sam looked over at him, a little shocked that Dean said anything at all.
Connor didn’t look phased, though. He answered, “No one at the moment.”
Dean nodded, “And in the past? Anyone we should look into?”
He shook his head, “Not that I can think of.”
Dean nodded slowly. He didn’t say anything else. He just kept looking at the man who looked, sounded, and acted like Cas. Sam was still trying to figure out if this was Cas or just an eerie doppelganger. If this was somehow really Cas, then the eluding connection might be closer to getting solved than they thought.
Connor was staring back at Dean. He tilted his head. Several emotioned flickered behind his eyes before he settled on confusion. Then he realized he had been staring. “I’m sorry, Agent,” he addressed Dean.
That seemed to snap Dean out of his trance. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied.
“It’s just that,” he paused for a second, “You look really familiar. Have we met?”
Dean’s eyes got wide. He shook his head, “I would have remembered.”
The answer seemed to appease Connor, but he continued evaluating Dean’s face.
“Mr. Abrams,” a voice sounded from the door, finally tearing Connor’s gaze away from Dean.
“Hi, Annie,” Connor smiled, “What can I do for you?”
Annie kept glancing between her teacher and Sam and Dean. Sam debated whether or not he should wave at her. He figured it might be more creepy than reassuring. Annie finally settled her gaze on her teacher, “I had a question about our paper and I wanted to ask you before class.”
Connor nodded. Then he looked back at Sam and Dean. He smiled at Annie, “Let’s talk outside.” He got up to exit and turn to Sam and Dean again, “If you’ll excuse us?”
Sam nodded, and Connor left with his student.
“Sam,” Dean said slowly, “That’s Cas.”
Sam nodded, “I think it is.”
“Why doesn’t he remember us,” Dean asked, “Why doesn’t he remember anything?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said, “But maybe this is what ties all the victims together.”
“You think they were all former angels?”
Sam shrugged, “Claire said the killings started seven years ago. Remember what else happened seven years ago?”
Dean thought for a moment before understanding hit his face, “The angels fell.”
“Exactly. Maybe some decided to live a normal life, maybe even give up their grace, and something found out there were vulnerable angels in Salina.”
“Why would they all come to Salina,” Dean asked, “And if they were on Heaven’s radar, we would have known sooner. I think something else is going on.”
Sam thought about it. Salina’s not too popular, but there are less conspicuous cities. If he were to go into hiding, he wouldn’t pick a bigger city. He’d pick someplace no one’s ever heard of. Even if all hiding angels came to Salina, that wouldn’t explain why Cas doesn’t have any memories. There’s something bigger here, and Sam can’t put his finger on it. Not the first time that’s happened, though.
There’s an idea.
“Do you remember,” Sam started, “When the Leviathan were running around and I checked myself into a mental hospital?”
“Cas didn’t have any memories then either.”
“We’ve never gotten a clear answer on why,” Sam said, “Maybe this is the same kind of thing.”
“Do you think we could get his memories back,” Dean asked.
Sam shrugged, “He seemed to recognize you, so maybe his memories aren’t gone, they’re just dormant.”
“Well if that’s the case, we can just tell him he’s an angel and have him smite some demons,” Dean said, “Worked last time.”
“If the cult is really targeting former angels,” Sam tried to connect some dots, “Maybe it actually is a bunch of demons.”
“First promising lead we’ve gotten.”
The door opened again and Cas-Connor entered with Annie and some other students. Connor walked back to his desk and grabbed a stack of papers. He handed them out with an incredible sense of purpose. Moving quickly through the classroom as he looked for the right student. It almost reminded Sam of how Cas used to fight. Quick and to the point.
“If you have any questions on the grade,” Connor announced, “Please let me know. It also might be a good idea to double check my math on your paper in terms of what’s in the gradebook in case it needs to be changed.” He stopped at the front of the classroom. “Elephant in the room, I guess,” he gestured to Sam and Dean, “This is Mr. Ackles and Mr. Padalecki. They’re evaluating my performance today. Just pretend they aren’t here.” Several students nodded. Connor smiled. “Alright, let’s talk Jacksonian Democracy.”
The class was attentive the entire time. Sam got the feeling that some of them were holding back jokes because they thought administrators were in the room, but this was almost like when the angels chose Cas to lead them. Every single person in the room gave him their complete attention. Some kids had their phones on their desks, but no one touched them. They only interrupted to ask a question. It was clear Connor had earned their respect despite only being here a few months. On the other hand, Connor gave as good as he got. If a student raised their hand, he gave them complete attention. Sam almost felt bad for wanting to get Cas’s memories back if it meant these kids would lose a good teacher.
Almost.
He didn’t feel bad enough to not want Cas back.
After the class ended, Connor waited for all his students to leave before he got his things.
“I assume you’d rather I go with you than meet you wherever you’re taking me,” Connor said.
“You assume right,” Dean said, “Sam’ll walk you out. I have to make a phone call.”
Connor nodded and walked out with Sam.
“Who is he calling,” Connor asked when they were in the hallway.
Sam looked over at him, evaluating. “We’re training some new recruits, but we thought it would be better if just the two of us came so we didn’t overwhelm you,” Sam replied, “Dean’s filling them in.”
Connor nodded. “Thank you for this, by the way,” he said, “I know it’s your job to keep people safe, but you could have made me leave when you got here. Instead, you let me finish the day and keep my students at ease. I appreciate it, Agent.”
“Call me Sam,” Sam replied, “And it was no trouble. We would have been watching you watch TV in a motel if we had left, so that was the less boring option.”
Connor laughed. It was the most familiar part of this conversation. For a moment, Sam forgot it was Cas. Then he looked back to the man in question. Grey button down shirt and jeans, no trench coat. He looked younger, too. Almost like not having to worry so much gave him years back. This was Connor, a man who looked, sounded, and acted like Cas but wasn’t him.
Finally outside, Connor stopped in his tracks. Sam followed his gaze to the Impala. He cleared his throat. “Do you, uh, recognize the car?”
Connor blinked. He continued following Sam to the car. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I think I must have known someone who owned a car like this.” His gaze locked on the passenger side door. He tilted his head as he stared at a dent Dean hasn’t gotten around to fixing yet. He shook his head, “I can’t quite place it.”
“Must’ve been a lifetime ago,” Sam said.
“Must’ve been.”
“What’d I miss,” Dean announced his presence.
“Nothing,” Sam said. He gestured for Connor to get in the car. He closed the door after Connor and turned to Dean, “What’d the kids say?”
“I called Kaia,” Dean said, “Asked her to ease Claire and Jack into it.”
“So caring.”
“Shut up.”
Sam smiled, “You’re like a dad.”
“Shut your cake hole.”
---
Dean watched Connor in the rearview the whole drive, so Sam was glad to be back at the motel. Sam opened the door slowly. Claire was pacing. Kaia was at the computer, her leg bouncing a mile a minute. Jack was sitting on one of the beds, staring at nothing.
“Hey, guys,” he said.
Claire snapped her head to him, “Was Dean telling the truth? Is Cas out there?”
Sam shook his head, “Connor Abrams is about to walk in here,” he paused, “And we think he’s Cas.”
Claire opened her mouth to respond but she shut it when the door opened. Dean ushered Connor into the room. Jack stood up. He looked like he was about to move before stopping himself. He frowned, which made Sam want to scream.
Instead of screaming, Sam cleared his throat. “Everyone,” he said, “This is Connor Abrams. Mr. Abrams, this is Claire, Kaia, and Jack,” he pointed to each of them respectively, “They’re the trainees I mentioned.”
He smiled, “Call me Connor. It’s nice to meet y’all.”
Kaia was glancing back and forth between Connor and Claire. She smiled and extended a hand, “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Jack walked to the door, “I left something in the car,” he said before walking out.
Sam frowned, “I’m gonna,” he gestured vaguely toward the door.
Jack was leaning on the car. He looked up when he heard Sam close the door.
“This is weird,” he said.
Sam nodded, “Yeah, it is. Are you okay?”
Jack shrugged, “I’ve spent months trying to reach him, like last time. I just thought the Empty was overpowering me, but all this time, he was only two hours away.”
Sam sighed, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know,” Jack said, “But I wanted to. I missed him,” Jack frowned, “I wanted to bring him back. I wanted to make our family whole again.”
“I understand,” Sam replied, “Dean and I think we might be able to help him get his memories back.”
Jack tilted his head, “How?”
“I don’t know yet, but Cas lost his memories once before, and we helped him get them back.”
“Are you sure.”
“No,” Sam sighed, “But I think the first step is telling him the truth about the world and what’s after him.”
Jack smiled, “That’s a good idea.”
Sam nodded, “I’ve been known to have a few.”
Jack didn’t respond, but Sam was happy to sit in silence. After a moment, he looked over at Jack. He was frowning again. “Is there something else you want to talk about,” Sam asked.
Jack sighed, “What if we can’t get his memories back? Then, it’s just the three of us, and I can’t figure out how to talk to Dean.”
Sam frowned, “Is this about what Dean said before everything went down?”
When Jack didn’t answer, Sam took it as a yes and continued, “Dean didn’t mean that. He was just angry. You know that, right?”
Jack shrugged but didn’t answer. Sam kept going, “Jack, you are part of this family. You have been there for the good and the bad and you are valued in our family. Most importantly, it is not your fault that Mary died.” Jack finally looked up at Sam. He started to respond, but Sam didn’t let him, “About ten years ago, I lost my soul, and I did some horrible things before I got it back. I was helping Crowley, a demon I’m not sure you met, capture and torture monsters for information on Purgatory. I let Dean get turned into a vampire. I tried to kill Bobby, not the Bobby you know, the one I grew up with.” Sam sighed. Not a part of his life he likes to talk about. “And that was only when I was soulless. I have made so many mistakes. My point is you weren’t yourself, and even if you were, I know it was an accident. And if Dean’s forgiven me for all the shit I’ve done, he’s forgiven you. I promise. You are part of this family.”
Jack looked away. He blinked a few times then looked back up at Sam with a small smile. “Thanks, Sam,” he said, “We should go back in now.”
Sam nodded and followed Jack inside. Connor and Kaia were having a discussion at the table. Dean and Claire were angry whispering in a corner. Sam sighed and walked over to them.
“Sam,” Dean said when Sam got to them, “Tell Claire we can’t just tell him there’s demons hunting him.”
“Sam,” Claire said in the same tone, “Tell Dean he has a right to know and it could also help him remember who he is.”
“Well,” Sam said, “You know how I hate to get involved, but I agree with Claire.”
Dean nodded, “You’re on something. We don’t even have a guarantee that his memories would come back, we’d just be putting him in danger.”
“Even if he doesn’t get his memories back,” Sam said, “He is an angel and there are things out there that will try to hurt him just because he’s an angel. He should know what’s out there.”
Claire smiled, “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
Sam turned to Dean, “I’m going to tell him, you can sit over here moping, but that won’t stop me.”
Dean huffed, “Fine. Go ahead.”
“Connor,” Sam called. Connor turned to him, so he continued, “We need to be completely open with you about the situation. It’s going to sound crazy, but hear us out.”
Connor frowned, then he nodded, “Okay?”
Sam sighed, “Monsters are real and we think there are demons after you.”
Connor blinked once. Then twice. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Finally, “Okay.”
“That’s it,” Claire asked, “No questions?”
Connor shook his head, “We know virtually nothing of what exists in the universe, so I guess it’s not too crazy to think demons are real.”
“This is probably the best reaction we’ve gotten,” Dean said quietly.
“I guess I do have one question,” Connor said, “Why would demons be after me?”
Sam tried to think of something to say that didn’t involve the word “angel.” Kaia saved him, “Honestly, we don’t know the motives behind a lot of what demons do. The current Queen of Hell has been running a pretty tight ship with a lot of regulations. Unfortunately, the increased rules means a lot of demons are pent up.”
Claire nodded, “Also, this fits a trend that’s been going on for years. It’s possible that they’re just keeping an old tradition. They probably just saw you walk home and decided on you.”
Connor nodded, “What’s the plan then,” he asked, “I assume the best course of action would be using me to draw them out.”
Dean shook his head, “We can’t ask you to put yourself in the line of fire.”
“According to you, I’m already in it,” Connor replied, “Besides, they could just target someone else.”
Sam nodded, “Another problem, we don’t know how many of them there are. We only have two blades.”
Claire smirked, “I have my sword.”
Dean looked at her, “I wasn’t aware you still had your sword,” he said slowly.
Claire shrugged, “No one’s tried to take it yet.”
Sam leaned over to Connor, “Demons can only be killed with special weapons. Dean and I have a knife and an angel blade, and Claire has an angel sword.”
Connor nodded, but he looked confused, “Angels are real too?”
“Yeah,” Sam said. He looked for any sign of recognition on Connor’s face, “Full powered angels can smite demons, but unfortunately, the only angel we have is kinda running on reserves.”
Connor squinted at Sam, “Who’s the angel?”
“Jack,” Sam answered, “Half angel, technically.”
Jack, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke, “Can we get Rowena to take care of them?”
Dean smiled and shook his head, “She’s unreachable right now. Our best bet is to take out the demons and explain what happened if she asks.”
“Alright,” Sam said, “What’s the plan?”
---
Connor was in the main room of his apartment. Connor was watching TV and Sam was watching Connor. Conveniently placed windows are great for business. Dean and Claire were inside and Sam, Kaia, and Jack were watching from the Impala. The apartment looked like one you would see in a catalog. It was a small room with white walls. Despite being programmed with a backstory, whatever put Cas here as Connor didn’t give him any family pictures to hang on the walls. Normally you could get a sense of who a person was by looking at their apartment, but there was nothing to look at here. Maybe that was the idea. Make his house look so completely normal that no one is tempted to look too deep into who he might be. That strategy would work for anyone who wasn’t a hunter.
“Sam,” Kaia tapped his shoulder, “That car’s been here for a while.”
Sam looked to where she was pointing. Grey SUV. Big enough to snatch someone in but not too out of place. “Has anyone gotten out of it,” he asked.
“Not that I’ve seen,” Kaia said, “They either think we’re stalkers and are watching us, or they’re stalkers and are watching someone.”
Sam grabbed a blade and put it in a pocket, “I’ll check it out.”
Sam walked over slowly. The cool metal combined with the chill in the air was out of place in the warmth of his pocket. He was close enough to see the car was empty when Jack yelled, “They’re inside!”
Everyone took off running. Three flights of stairs are never easy, but something about this time was worse. Sam could feel every breath trying to suffocate him before he exhaled. His feet pounded against the stairs with resistance. It was almost a relief to reach the fight. He burst through the door and tried to take in the scene unfolding.
They were right about the demons. One was stuck in a trap, the other six had angel blades. Claire and Dean were fighting them off as well as they could, but three to one odds are never good. Claire was fierce with her sword. She was good the last time Sam saw her use it, but it was clear she had been practicing. Connor was in a salt circle watching the fight intensely. His eyes kept flicking between Dean and Claire and the demons, trying to decide what he could do.
Sam looked at Jack and Kaia, “Get him out of here.”
He joined the fight.
Someone must have let their guard down because one second, they were holding off the demons, and the next, Kaia and Jack were flung across the room.
Dean saw if before Sam did. Sam heard him yell, “CAS,” as he tried to get over to Connor.
Suddenly, something changed in Connor’s face. He looked at where Dean was and something activated. He walked toward the demons with purpose. Sam couldn’t move, he just watched Connor place a hand on a demon’s head. The eyes started glowing, then it collapsed on the ground, and he moved onto the next.
Claire finally got the leg up on her opponents and took them out, and Dean got the last one.
Everyone stood in silence, evaluating the scene that had just unfolded. Dean moved first. He turned to look at the man who had just taken out those demons. He was breathing heavy, and his eyes were scanning his face over and over. Finally his shoulders slumped. “Cas,” he asked.
The man gave a small smile, “Hello, Dean.”
Dean didn’t hesitate. He moved across the room and pulled Cas into a hug. Claire and Jack made eye contact, then followed his lead. Sam let himself take in the image of them. After months, it looked like Dean was finally breathing. Sam smiled at the thought. He finally went over to them and joined the hug.
It wasn’t long enough, but when it was time, Sam pulled away first. Then Claire. Then Jack. But Dean held firm.
“Don’t you ever die on me again,” Dean said slowly and quietly, “Especially not right after telling me you love me.”
“I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas said, “But I had to do something. I couldn’t let you die.”
Dean pulled back and shook his head, “Next time, you’re not allowed to say you love me without giving me a chance to say it back.”
Cas smiled, “I think I can manage that.”
Dean smiled, “Good.”
Kaia cleared her throat, “I hate to interrupt,” she said, “But we should clean this up and get out of here.”
Claire nodded, “Not looking forward to spending another night in jail.”
That got them. Dean and Cas both directed a glare to Claire. “You spent the night in jail,” Dean asked.
“Like you haven’t, Mr. Wanted In All 50 States,” she said.
“We’re not talking about me.”
Cas nodded, “Dean’s right, Claire. He can get away with it because Dean Winchester is legally dead, but Claire Novak is very much alive, which means you can have a record.”
Claire raised her hands in surrender, “Can we focus and moving these bodies, please?”