"the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained".
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UNNAMED ALLEY WAY:
After a hunt, Sam and Dean were completely and utterly suprised to get a call from a phonebooth from none other than Castiel himself. Dean practically sped the entire way there, before finding Castiel standing next to the payphone.
Sirens wailed in the distance as Sam and Dean looked at Castiel in shock, glee, and hesitation. "Cas, is that really you?" Castiel only nodded in response. "No you're...you're dead" Sam couldn't believe that they had Castiel back, they didn't think it would ever happen. But it did.
"Yeah, I was" Castiel walked away from the phone booth so he would be standing exactly in front of the Winchester's. "But then I...annoyed an ancient cosmic being so much that he sent me back" The members of Team Free Will were probably the few people that could actually say that.
"I don't even know what to say" Castiel looked at Sam, a slight smile appeared for a moment on Sam's face as he tried to work out the situation in his head.
"I do" Dean walked towards his best friend. "Welcome home, pal" He said before pulling the angel into a hug. After Dean, Sam and Castiel hugged.
"How long was I gone?" Castiel questioned after the hugging was over. "Too damn long" Dean told him, thinking about everything that had happened while Cas was dead. "Where were you? Heaven?" Castiel looked down for a moment before meeting Sam's eyes to answer his question.
"No. No, I was in the Empty" This caught them by surpise. "Really?" Sam and Dean knew what the Empty was. Before she was Death, Billie(former reaper) threatened to send the Winchester's there if they died. Apparently it was rather impossible for anyone to come back.
"Apparently it's where angels and demons go when they die" Castiel recalled the being of the Empty telling him so. "What was it like?" Sam asked.
"Well, it's dark and...nothing. It's like...nothing" The memories of the pitch black place made him shudder. "I was sleeping, and then I heard two voices that said my name, and I woke up. I though you had done something" The angel looked at the brother's, hoping that they didn't do anything stupid like sell their souls.
"No, we...we didn't even think we could bring you back" Castiel looked down as he tried to figure out who the voices belonged to. "So who was it? Chuck-uh, God and Amara?" The voices sounded nothing like them, they sounded younger and more emotional..
"No. No, they don't have power in the Empty" The words of the Empty rang in his mind. "Well, then, who does?" After Dean said that, Sam realized who they had to be. Two voices, beings that would want Castiel back and could be powerful enough to do that.
"The twins. Jack and Jenna".
MOL BUNKER:
When Sam and Dean decided to go on a hunt without the twins, they were left alone at the bunker. Jack and Jenna had finally mastered lifting up the pencil. Jack spent most of his time either watching Star Wars or searching for a case for the brothers. Jenna spent most of her time either writing in the journal that the shapeshifter therapist gave her, watching Teen Wolf, or practicing using her scream like Lydia.
The twins were currently in the Bunker's library. Jack was on the computer while Jenna was writing in her journal, the two sitting right across from each other. They heard footsteps indicating that the brother's were back.
"How'd it go?" Jack asked, the two not looking up from what they were doing. "Well...Jack, Jenna, um..." Both twins stopped what they were doing, Jenna closed her notebook before looking at the brother's in confusion. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, clearly concerned like his sister.
The twins heard an extra pair of footsteps, looking over to see a man in a trenchcoat. Sam showed the twins a few pictures that Castiel was in, they knew exactly who it was. "Hello Jack, hello Jenna" Castiel looked between the twins.
"Castiel?" The two were beyond confused, clearly not understanding how he could be alive. Castiel sighed before speaking. "Yeah, it's me" The twins got out of their chairs and stood up. "No" Jenna slightly backed away. "You died, Lucifer killed you. We burned your body. How..." Jack put his hand on Jenna's shoulder to calm her down.
"Well, that's the question we've been asking" Jack didn't know how to react, to be weary like his sister or to be happy like the Winchester's. "Jack, Jenna. Did you, uh, did you two bring Cas back?" Both twins met eyes, sharing the memory of when they called out for Castiel during Sam and Dean's argument.
"We wanted him back. We...begged for him to come back, but..." Jack didn't know how to explain what happened because they didn't do it on purpose. "Well, here he is" Even though it wasn't that obvious in his facial expressions, Jenna could tell that Dean was so happy and relieved to have his best friend back. Dean's soul became a bit brighter.
"Because of us?" Jenna couldn't believe that they were able to bring Castiel back. Jenna had tried numerous times to bring her mother back and couldn't, yet they could accidentally bring Castiel back?
"We don't know, we don't know Jack, Jenna. But, we...we think maybe" Sam told them. "Thank you, both of you" On the way to the bunker, Sam and Dean told him all about the twins. He couldn't be more proud of who they had become. At only a few weeks old, they were already doing what their mother wanted them to do. To help people, to be good.
Jack and Castiel hugged. "I missed you so much. We both did" When the hug ended, everyone's eyes were on Jenna. The other nephilim didn't move, like she was frozen. "Jenna?" Jack tried to get her attention, but Jenna was still processing what had happened.
Sam walked over to her, getting her to snap out of it. "Jenna, it's really him. We checked" With Sam's encouragement, the girl stepped forward. "Hello Jenna" Jenna hesitated, but hugged the angel they chose to be their father instead of Lucifer.
"Sam and Dean tell me you two are doing well" Jack and Jenna nodded. "We are" A duplicate smile spread across the twin's faces when they realized that they never told Sam and Dean what they accomplished.
"Watch this" The two twins walked over to where their pencils were, both levitating them. "Wow" Sam mumbled, proud that they had accomplished something that was so hard for them only days ago. "We moved the pencil and I didn't break it" Jenna smiled proudly.
"And we found a case" Sam and Dean shared a look when Jack sat down at the computer. "Hunter's case" Dean rose an eyebrow. "What kind of--" Jack cut Dean off, super eager and excited. "Zombies!" Jenna then looked over at Castiel. "We know what zombies are" She whispered, making him smile.
"See" Jack started to pull up the article, confusing the brothers. They hadn't really taught either twin how to use a computer, so this made zero sense. "Wait. Where'd you learn how to do that?" Dean questioned. "From watching you and Sam. Jenna helped too" Jack added before going back to the article.
"Three days ago, a vintage pocket watch with a personal inscription was sold at a pawn shop. But when they went to authenticate it, they found out that it'd been buried with its owner... 20 years ago. And when they checked out the grave, it was empty. Which means... the dead are rising in Dodge City, Kansas" Jack was super proud of both himself and his sister for being hunters and finding a case.
When Jack mentioned where it happened, a dreamy expression mixed with awe planted itself on Dean's face. Castiel looked at Dean knowingly. "Right. O-or maybe it's a-a grave robbery, but..." Jack frowned. "Oh" This wasn't gonna stop Dean from going to one of the few places he loved, the theme of cowboys and the wild-west was one Dean grew up on and still loved.
"Yeah, but we should probably check it out" Dean tried to act casual and chill about it. "Wait, really?" Both Castiel and Sam shot Dean a look, not understanding what Dean meant.
"Yeah, we've done more on less. Besides Dodge City's kind of, uh, kind of awesome" Dean tried to hide a smile, trying to be casual and not fangirl.
"All right, well... two salty hunters, two half-angel kids, and a dude who just came back from the dead. Again. Team Free Will 2.0. Here we go".
STAMPEDE MOTEL
DODGE CITY, KANSAS:
The five of them were staying at a cliche western themed motel, carrying their bags and fake FBI clothes down the motel's hallway. "All right, this is supposed to be the best room in the joint" Dean unlocked and oepened the door, turning on the room's light to see the stereotypical western decorations that he was a sucker for.
"Oh ho! The Wild Bill suite" Dean laughed in amazement at the decorations as if it was his own personal heaven. "Wow" Sam commented as the door shut. The other four weren't as entranced as Dean, a bit uncomfortable even.
"Pretty cool, right? Dude! Check it out, check it out, check it out" Dean pointed at an old pictre like a littl ekid. Clay Allison—gun fighter extraordinaire, right? And, uh, Curly Bill Brocius, which—now, now, now, little fun fact here—was killed by Wyatt Earp himself. Not kidding. Johnny Ringo, Billy the Kid. Oh, look!" Jack and Jenna were confused, looking over at the angel.
"He really likes cowboys" Meanwhile, Dean booped the nose of the buffalo. "Hey, big guy. How you doin'? That's... What's going on, Calamity Jane?" Castiel looked back at the twins. "Yes. Yes he does" Castiel replied. "Doc Holliday! Hey-oh! This is awesome" Dean regained his composure, though not ashamed of himself. "All right, I say quick shower, steak dinner, and then tomorrow, we hit up the cemetery" Dean decided.
"Sounds like a plan" The two human went to the separated sleeping area. "You can have the couch if you want. We don't sleep much" Jack told Castiel. "I don't sleep at all".
STAMPEDE MOTEL
LATER:
Jack, Jenna, and Castiel were sitting in the common area while Sam and Dean were still asleep. Jack and Jenna were explaining to Cas what happened while he was dead, what happened after they were born.
"...and then there were these angels and they tried to kill us, but I thought angels were good?" Jack was keeping an eye on the laptop for any updates, Jenna was sitting a bit farther away as she wrote down what was on her mind as Mia instructed.
"Well in Heaven, 'good's a relative term" He hesitated. Jack and Jenna smiled at the mention of Heaven, where their mother was currently residing at, or at least they hoped. "What's Heaven like?" Jenna asked, generally interested.
"Well, that depends" Jack and Jenna still held onto the thought that their mother was safe. "But is it nice?" Castiel smiled. "It can be" Jenna slightly smiled but then it disappeared. "Our mother, she's in Heaven. That's why we wanted to know" Jenna explained.
"Yeah, I know she is. Kelly was...she was a very brave woman" Castiel recalled how Kelly would stop at nothing to make sure the twins had a good life. "She left us a message. She said we had an angel watching over us" There was a moment of silence before Cas sighed.
"Jack, Jenna, I'm so sorry. I-I should've been here for you both" Jenna shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, you were killed" Jenna then shared a look with Jack before continuing. "We now understand why our mother trusted you. I understand why Jack chose to trust you" Castiel looked at the twins fondly, not able to frown.
"You remember that?" Castiel looked between the twins. "I remember feeling safe, making Jenna feel safe" Even in the womb, Jack and Jenna were always looking out for each other, always making sure the other was okay.
"Jack, Jenna, your mother, she believed that you two would do amazing things. She said that both of you would change the world for the better. And now, looking at you two, talking to you, I know that she was right, that we were right. Kelly would be so proud of you both".
They all smiled at each other, there was some comfortable silence until the computer beeped. Jack had the police scanner open to make sure everything was okay. Jack started typing to figure out what happened.
"Oh, wow" Jack turned the laptop to show the two that someone died. "I'll go tell them" Jack exclaimed, getting up. "Jack! Jack!" Castiel tried to stop the excited nephilim, but he didn't listen and went to wake the hunter up. Out of instinct, Dean got his gun out ready to shoot.
"Wait! Dean!" Jenna exclaimed, waking the hunter up more to see it was Jack and not some kind of monster, Sam meanwhile woke up to the commotion. "Who's making me coffee?"
STAMPEDE MOTEL
LATER ON:
While Sam was ready, Dean was still a grumpy man drinking some coffee. "I told you. He's an angry sleeper. Like a bear" Castiel said to Jack, hoping he learned his lesson. "Okay, so "code three" means an officer down. Looks like the victim was-" Jack cut Sam off. "Covered in bite marks. Like from a zombie" Jack continued.
"Or anything else that has teeth" Dean corrected. "All right, change of plans. Jack and I will hit the graveyard. You, Jenna, and Cas hit up the crime scene" Jack and Sam got up to get ready. When Jenna and Castiel went to get up, Dean motioned them to halt, pointing at his coffee to let them know that he needed to finish it. The two sat back down.
CRIME SCENE:
The impala arrived at the crime scene. They were all dressed in fancy-ish clothes. Castiel wore his regular suit and trenchcoat, Dean wore a suit that had a bit of a southern bling to it, and Jenna wore a professional black dress with pumps.
Dean turned off the impala before facing the other two, Jenna in the back while Castiel sat shotgun. "All right, listen you two. These Dodge City cops aren't likely to trust big city folk, so we're gonna have to blend" Castiel wore a light-colored cowboy hat with a red sash around it saying, 'The Stampede. Jenna had a dark one that matched her dress.
"Which is why you're making us wear these absurd hats?" Castiel was a bit apprehensive about wearing the hat considering it didn't seem like anyone else was. "It's not that bad" Jenna rolled her eyes before removing the search from Castiel's hat.
"You look better now" Jenna reasurred the angel. Castiel looked in the car mirror while Dean fixed his suit. "Look, just act like you're from 'Tombstone', okay?" Jenna remembered when Dean saw her watching the movie at the bunker, it was one of the things they bonded on. Dean had told her that he made Cas watch it.
"Like the town?" Jenna smiled. "The movie, Castiel" Cas still looked a bit confused. "With Kurt Russell? I made you watch it" Dean scolded slightly, proud that Jenna at least remembered watching it.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The one with guns and tuberculosis" Castiel said before quoting the movie. "I'm your Huckleberry" Jenna held back a laugh at her chosen father's poor imitation of the movie. "Yeah, exactly. Well, it's good to have you back, Cas" Dean then reached for his own hat. "All right, just follow my lead. We'll fit right in".
Dean made them do a dramatic entrance/walk over to the crime scene and police there. As they walked, Castiel greeted someone with a 'howdy partner' which made Jenna cringe.
They walked up to an officer. "Who's in charge here?" Dean asked an officer who pointed at someone. "Much obliged" Castiel said before the trip went up to the Sheriff.
"Sheriff Phillips?" Dean got the men's attention. "It's Sarge. Sergeant Joe Phillips. Sheriff's on vacation" He corrected. "Well, I'm Agent Russell. These are my associates" Dean gestured for them to reply. "Agent Jennifer Paxton" Jenna introduced before the two looked at Castiel who wasn't understanding. Jenna nudged him, finally getting his attention.
"Uh, Kilmer. My name is Val Kilmer" Jenna mentally groaned at his alias. "Yeah, okay. What do you want?" Sarge questioned, clearly not fully believing what Cas said.
"Well, we heard about the attack over the wire last night. Wondering what you can tell us about the victim" Jenna looked around the crime scene, not sensing EMF, ghosts were obviously not the cause.
"His name was Carl Phillips. Deputy Carl Phillips. He's...was my nephew. Some psycho slit his throat and left the body out for the coyotes to chew on. I knew that boy since he was a day old" The three looked at the Sargent sympathetically.
"We're very sorry for your loss, Sargent" Sargent Phillips cleared his throat, looking down before collecting himself and looking back up.
"Anyway, what the hell's the Texas Rangers even doing up here?" He questioned. "Well, actually, we're FB–" Dean stopped Castiel, wanting to live out his fantasy of being a Texas Ranger.
"Rangers. That's right. Texas Rangers" Sargent Phillips didn't look convinced. "We've been tracking a fugitive who skipped across state lines. He's a real mean son of a gun. He's been robbing graves" Dean lied.
"Oh. We got us one of them. Carl was the one looking in on it. You think there's a connection?" Jenna smiled kindly at the man. "We think there's a possibly" She told him.
"Well, you three are more than welcome to poke around, but... I catch up with your runner first, there ain't gonna be much left of him to take back to Texas. You can count on it".
STAMPEDE MOTEL:
They were all back at the motel, Sam and Jack found some bones from the graveyard.
"Leftovers" Dean inspected the bone, Jenna scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Yeah, bite marks. Looks like a ghoul" Jack and Jenna looked at Castiel in confusion, not remembering learning about ghouls. "Oh, a ghoul is a monster that feeds on the dead. They can take the form of whomever they've eaten. Decapitation kills them" The angel explained.
"Yeah, or bashing their brains in" Dean tosses Castiel the bone. "Like a zombie-shapeshifter?" Both twins tilted their heads to the side in confusion. "Pretty much, yeah. And he could have tunnels all over that graveyard" Sam finished. "But if it could be anyone, how do we find it?".
***
"Can I just say I'm getting real sick and tired of fighting things that look like other things?" Dean cracked open a beer. "Maybe the ghoul is this Athena" Castiel thought out loud. "Yeah. A-a ghoul who owns a mortuary. That's smart, but..." Dean cut his younger brother off. "No. She's got access to the bodies before they're ever in the ground. Anything she wants, she would just take. She doesn't have to dig 'em back up" Sam nodded in agreement.
Jack, who was on the laptop with Jenna, called the other three over. "I think we found something. Jenna and I tracked the plates on the stolen truck from the crime scene, and we went through the city's traffic camera footage, and look. This is it. From yesterday, before the deputy was killed" Jack played the footage.
"Well, then, who's drivin'?" Dean zoomed into the picture. "Holy crap. That's Dave Mather" Jenna was the only other person who knew who this was considering she listened to Dean's ranting on the way and took mental notes. And after that, she did research out of curiosity. "Who?"
"A cowboy, an outlaw. One of the Dodge City gang" Everyone looked at Jenna, heavily surprised. "See! Someone listens to me!" Dean exclaimed, still over excited about the fact that it was one of his favorite cowboy's. Jenna grabbed the photo from the dresser of the cowboy. "He was a great gunfighter, but he died in 1886" Dean looked like a little kid in the worlds biggest candy store.
"Mysterious Dave Mather. I'm gonna get my boots on. One of the best gunslingers ever! Whoo!"
STAGECOACH CREDIT UNION:
After Athena, the ghoul's girlfriend told them where he was, they went to the bank to find the Dave Mather impersonator. When he left the bank with what he stole, Jenna and Dean were standing there waiting. "Dave Mather. Robbing a bank. That's a bold move" Dean said as Dave walked out of the bank. "You must be the hunter" Dave glared slightly.
"And you're the dumbass who shifted into a notorious deceased cowboy in the city known for cowboys" Jenna snapped, coming into the ghouls vision. Dean smiled proudly, while Castiel shot her a look to stay quiet.
"It's my favorite suit, sweetheart. You know, I like to keep a little piece of old Dave on me just to gnaw on" Sam cocked his gun, drawing his attention to the other three. "Let's make it two, three, four, five Hunters! Whoo!" The ghoul sniffed. "Must be my birthday" Jenna rolled her eyes.
"Monster's never have good comebacks" Jenna muttered to Dean who stifled a laugh. "What did you say, little lady?" Dave stepped a bit close to Jenna, making Sam glare at him and Dean pulling Jenna back a bit. "Look, why don't you come with us someplace else? We can do this quick and quiet".
Dave pulled out a gun, Sam shot back in response, but missed the ghoul. Castiel pulled Jack and Jenna behind a stagecoach as the shootout started. "Are you two alright?" Castiel looked over the two worriedly. "We're okay" The windows of the cars in the area were shattered by the bullets.
"You two stay here" Jack shook his head. The nephilim boy wanted nothing more than to save his family like they had saved him. "No, it's okay. I've got this" The two tried to stop him, but the nephilim didn't listen.
Dave saw that Jack was open and shot at him, becoming dumbfounded when Jack didn't fall and bleed. "What the hell?" Jack got ready to send a blast of power at the ghoul, but a security guard came out of the bank and was also sent flying from the blast. While Dave just got up and went running off, the security guard hit his head on a post.
"No" Jenna was flabbergasted at what just happened, an accident that very well ruined her brother with guilt as he blamed himself for accidentally getting a citizen killed.
"Check the guard" Dean told Sam before running after the ghoul. The other four twin over the guard who was surrounded by a pool of his own blood.
"Cas, I-I didn't mean to. Castiel, you have to heal him" Jack begged, both twins on the verge of crying.
Castiel attempted to, but failed. "I can't" Castiel told them. "Why not?" Jenna slightly snapped, Castiel knowing it wasn't directed towards him but in stress out of what was happening to her twin. "He's dead".
STAMPEDE MOTEL
AFTER:
Jack and Jenna were sitting on the sofa in the motel room, Jack resisting his head on Jenna's shoulder as she comforted him. The three boys gathered away from them to discuss what they need to do now.
"Is this the first time he's hurt anyone?" Castiel asked, looking at how broken Jack was. "No. No, but it is the first time he's hurt someone that didn't get back up" Sam explained. "All right, you two should get Jack back to the bunker" Sam looked at his brother with shock.
"What?" Sam thought Dean would be ready to kill Jack, something he said he would do if Jack ever hurt anyone.
"The cops are gonna be on their way. We gotta get him out of town" Sam and Castiel knew Dean was right, there was no way Jack could stay while they finished the case. "Okay, but what—what about the ghoul? I can stay here" Castiel offered.
"No, I'll handle it. Besides, you need to be with the kid in case he... you know" Dean didn't want to think about Jack going all dark-side on them. Dean finally warmed up to the twins, he couldn't think of Jack ever becoming evil.
IMPALA:
As the rain fell and the thunder rumbled in the background, Sam drove the impala with Castiel in the passenger seat. Jack sat in the back, resting his head on his sister's shoulder as he contemplated what he should do about what he did, how to handle the situation. "Jack, uh, are you okay?" Jack didn't answer Sam.
"Jack, I've killed people who didn't deserve it, my friends—I've killed people I loved. I wish I could tell you that it—that it gets easier, that with time, it hurts less, but that would be a lie because it never gets easier. And those moments, they never stop hurting. But that doesn't mean that you should stop fighting. Doesn't mean that just because you made a mistake—and that's what this is, Jack. It's a mistake. That doesn't mean that you can't—can't be better, do better. I believe that. I have to believe that" Castiel spoke, worried for the boy's mental and emotional state.
"And we still believe in you, Jack. We, uh—" Jack interrupted Sam. "Stop, just please, stop" Jack clung to his sister, truly believing she was the only one who's opinion on him didn't change.
Jack knew that Jenna would never leave his side even if he killed hundreds of people, which made him even more concerned that he might drag his sister into something she didn't need to deal with. He promised their mother that he would protect Jenna as she would with him, and that's exactly what he knew he had to do. To protect his twin from himself until he could redeem himself. But at that moment, he hugged his sister to remember her.
MOL BUNKER:
For once, the bunker was silent. When Dean arrived, Jack was sitting on a chair in the library while Sam, Castiel, and Jenna stood near the table by the stairs. "Hey" Dean greeted. "How'd it go?" Sam asked his brother. "Usual. Killed the bad guy, saved the girl" Dean said, trying to act casual for Jack's sake, the innocent boy staring at the table he was sitting at.
"What about the..." Jenna asked in a quiet voice. "I took care of it" The words slightly reassured Jenna, the girl worrying about her brother's recovery from what happened. "Thank you" Jack became angry with himself. "Thank you?" They all looked at the eldest twin nephilim who got out of his chair. "I killed someone. What was his name? The guard? Did he have a family?" Jack walked over.
"Jack, don't do this to yourself" Castiel warned. "No, did he?" Dean didn't want to lie to Jack. "Yes, he did" Sam then spoke after his brother. "Jack, look, this life, what we do, it's... it's not easy. And we've all done things we regret" Jack shook his head. "Just don't. You're afraid of me" Jack backed away slightly. "Jack, stop" Jenna pleaded.
"No" Jack then turned to face Dean. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just another monster" Dean shook his head at Jack's words, truly realizing how he affected the nephilim with his harsh words previously.
"No, you're not. I thought you were, I thought you both were. But like Sam said, we've all done bad. We all have blood on our hands. So if you're a monster, we're all monsters" Jack wasn't buying it.
"No, you don't. Every time I try and do something good, people get hurt. I thought I was getting better. I'm not... I don't know what I am, but I know I can't make the world a better place, not like this. I can't even do one good thing. And I know that if I stay, I'm gonna hurt you. All of you. And... I can't. You're all I have" He looked at Jenna. "I'm not letting you get hurt" Tears clouded Jenna's matching blue eyes with her brother's.
"Jack, don't leave" Jack looked at his sister guiltily, feeling bad that he was causing her to cry. "I have to go" Jenna started panicking. "Jack-" Castiel went to step forward, but Jack stopped him with his powers. Jack pushed all of them away, his eyes glowing the gold color that he shared with his sister. "I'm sorry" And with a whooshing sound, Jack was gone. Leaving a crying Jenna and a shaken Team Free Will behind.