Watching Over You

John insisted that they wait to give her time to mourn her parents. Mary said she wanted to get married now, that she needed to get married now. He didn’t understand, but he didn’t complain too much. From the moment they met he knew they were meant for each other. Mary Cambell was different from the rest of the girls. She didn’t insist on getting high at every party or giving into the jock who came onto her. The one-liners that came her way, she would hear them and laugh. Mary had spunk; she had a lively spirit that John did not want to be apart from.

So within a couple months of her parents’ death, Mary and John became Mr. and Mrs. John Winchester. The first year was pure heaven until Mary started having trouble. The two of them had been trying to have kids. Even after the mysterious Dean had come along, Mary knew she wanted kids. She wanted to have the perfect, white picket fence life. Nothing supernatural, nothing out of the ordinary, just a normal life, that’s all she wanted.

Then finally five years after they got married Mary went to the doctor, she was pregnant, her first. John was the prefect father-to-be. He always made sure she had what she needed and rarely stayed over time at the garage just in case she needed him.

Then January 1979 little Dean Jonathan Winchester was born. He was the couple’s pride and joy. Most of the time they were just happy he was alive, happy that being a month early hadn’t damaged his health.

“Tell me a story.” Dean said one night. He was three and he loved his mommy’s stories. Most of the time it was the classics, three little pigs, little red riding hood, but this time he wanted something different. It was Sunday and he’d heard about angels in his three year olds class. He’d learned how they watched over people.

“Ok, what story do you want to hear?” Mary asked with a smile.

“A story with an angel.” He said as he lay in his big boy bed. Mary thought for a minute as she sat on the edge of his bed.

“There once was an angel. He had beautiful green eyes.”

“Like me.” Dean said smiling. His mommy always told him he had beautiful green eyes. Mary laughed.

“Like you. And just like you his name was Dean. This angel could tell the future. One day while he was watching over a small town he spotted a young girl. Something was bothering her and he knew it. So Dean the Angel showed himself to her.

‘Mare.’ He said. She was afraid at first, but then he told her not to fear. ‘Mare, one day you will meet a wonderful man.’ She was surprised at this.” Mary didn’t finish her story; her baby boy was asleep.

“Goodnight, my angel.” She said kissing him on the head. Standing up she walked to the door. Her eyes were bright with motherly affection as she looked at her sleeping boy. As she watched him sleep a hand slipped to her stomach, feeling the bulge beneath her nightgown. She remembered the man who had been there when her family had died. She remembered how he’d just disappeared. He was her angel then. Now the little sleeping child was her angel.

In the corner of the room, standing in the dark, a man with deep blue eyes watched as Dean slept. He watched as the little chest rose and fell in an even rhythm.

“Sleep well, Dean, the Lord expects much of you.” Dean’s own angel spoke, his voice soothing.

Little Dean dreamed he was walking with an angel that night. He dreamed that he was to do great things.

13 years later

“Dean, why not, why don’t you believe?” Sam asked as they hiked up the hill, both carrying weapons.

“Sam, I’ve seen too much. He took mom and why would he let all these things loose so they could kill other innocent people.” Dean argued as he came to the top of the hill. Sam was close behind.

“Dean, are you saying mom just went to hell or nowhere?” he questioned, looking straight at his brother. At twelve he was smart and knew how to argue.

“No, I’m not.”

“If there’s a heaven, then who’s up there?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know if there is a heaven.” Dean said walking quickly ahead of Sam. He didn’t want to talk about this any more. In his anger he didn’t notice the small ledge.

John rushed his son to the hospital. It was something more than he could take care of,

“Mr. Spencer, your son will be fine, he just has a couple scrapes and bruises and a broken leg.” The doctor told him. John let out a sigh of relief.

“Someone’s lookin’ out for your boy, sir, he was lucky.” The doctor said before leaving.

He stood in the dark, watching as the family of three made their way to the Impala. Today was Dean’s birthday and he was supposed to drive the car all day. He knew that. But he knew too that he had to learn.

“Dean, there is a heaven. I’m sorry about the leg, but maybe you’ll learn.” He said into the air.

12 years later

He struggled for breath, struggled against the pain. He just wanted it to end. Why wouldn’t they stop, why wouldn’t they leave him alone. Couldn’t they just let him die? It was all he wanted right then. He wanted the pain to go away. As he breathed his final breath, he caught a glimpse of someone, of a man standing in the corner. There were tears streaming down the man’s face he thought and a look of sorrow. He saw nothing else as he lost consciousness and his life.

He cried over his death and he cried over his soul. He watched as his brother held his body.

“I thought you needed him, Lord.” He cried up to heaven, confused about all that was happening. He had watched him grow, had watched him lose faith in everything but his family.

His answer came when he was given a new job. Pull Dean out. Like every job he was given he accepted it whole-heartedly. The job was tough as he was clawed and screamed at, but he reached him and he pulled him out.

“What are you?” Dean demanded to know as he looked at the man before him.

“I am an angel of the Lord.”

“Get the hell out of here, there’s no such thing.”

“This is your problem, Dean, you have no faith.” Lightening cracked as he showed his wings. Dean took a small step back before taking the chance to speak. There wasn’t a whole lot he was afraid of, but the sight before him was one worthy to fear. He was starting to think that messing with the man before him wasn’t a great option. That didn’t mean he couldn’t question him though.

“Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman’s eyes.” Castiel hung his head before looking back up. The burning of Pamela Barnes’ eyes was not something he had wanted to do

“I warned her not to spy on my true form.” He said, taking a breath he continued. “It can be overwhelming to humans and so can my real voice, but you already knew that.”

“You mean the gas station and the motel?” The surprise Dean felt was obvious in his voice. “That was you talking?” Castiel nodded his head and Dean let out a breath. “Buddy, next time, lower the volume.”

“That was my mistake. Certain people, special people can perceive my real visage I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong.” He’d honestly thought Dean was special that his brain and heart were more developed than others.

Dean asked several other questions, searching for answers. He wasn’t ready to believe that he was standing before an angel. He could deal with demons, those he saw every other day. The idea, however, that there was something else, something holy and righteous. It was inconceivable.

“Why would an angel rescue me from Hell?” Dean demanded, confused. There was no reason he was so special. He’d slept around, cheated people, lied to the government, he was the epitome of a sinner.

“Good things do happen, Dean.” Castiel stepped forward, he wanted to look in his eyes, to know what he was thinking, to know what was going on in his soul.

“Not in my experience.” Dean didn’t like this. This angel, or whatever he was supposed to call him, was getting too close, too personal.

“What’s the matter?” he looked closely at him and that’s when he realized it. “You don’t think you deserve to be saved.”

“Why’d you do it?” emotions were running through him like crazy.

“Because God commanded it, because we have work for you.”

He disappeared from view. He watched as Dean looked around in confusion, confusion he’d grown used to seeing. Never in his time of watching him had he expected to meet him like this. God had given him Dean to look after.

He was Dean’s guardian angel if he had to put it that way. Dean never knew it, always expected everything bad happened to him. There were some days that Castiel just wanted him to see the good in life, the little things. Dean rarely did though and it made him sad at some points, frustrated others.

“Now it’s time for you to do your job, Dean.” He said watching as Dean helped Bobby up.