Part One- Falling Angels

Castiel thought he was a simple angel. He had a basic need to see that the hero of his tale finds his way to the end of the story. He didn't really expect much more than that but liked to think that he was appreciated by his friends as much as he appreciated the time he spent with them. These were his wishes, and this is what made him happy. All of that changed, however, when he woke up one morning in the middle of a meadow. Castiel has yet to discover if the change was for better or for worse.

Chapter 1

The sun felt warm on his face, like the hands of his father touching his skin and Castiel immediately sat upright, confused. How did the sun become so warm to him, and so bright to his eyes? Where was he and how did he get there?

Castiel does not require much rest if any, and usually spends the time that his companions are sleeping to run his own errands or explore the world he was privileged enough to visit. To awaken as he had, with no idea how he had gotten there, naturally led him to believe that outside influences were at play.

He looked around, squinting against the sun, and noticed that open fields were spread around him for quite a distance. Upon the lands horizon there appeared to be mountain ranges and trees to contrast the landscape, but little indication of location nearby. Castiel glanced down and noticed that the tall grass and wild flowers were flattened where he had lied which would indicate he had been there for some time.

Suddenly a pang of worry crept over him and Castiel thought about Dean and Sam. His closest and dearest friends might need him. They might be in danger. These thoughts brought about a panic in him like none he had ever felt before. Castiel sucked air deep into his nose to try to steady his nerves and a sudden convulsion of his body threw him to the ground. He stared puzzled at the flowers dancing before him and after a moment another convulsion took him.

Castiel knew what this was; he saw it often enough with the Winchester boys in the past. Castiel had just sneezed. Twice! But how could this happen? Had he ever sneezed before? Pushing away his worry for his friends, Cas reached out with timid fingers and rested them upon one of the white flowers swaying before him. The touch was silky and smooth; the petals cool under his fingers. He never saw the world like this before. It was as though a mask had been stripped away and suddenly everything became so clear to him.

Crawling across the meadow, Castiel stumbled over his trench coat, and eventually stripped it away entirely in his earnest desire to touch all the plants in front of him. He hardly needed his coat anyway. It was warm and he felt the heat like he had never done before. Cas laid upon the soft plant-life once more and it welcomed him with a cool bedding of frawns. He smiled and closed his eyes as the sun beamed heavy upon his face. How glorious this all felt! How utterly holy and sacred was this place.

"I see you are enjoying my gift," said an airy voice and Castiel opened his eyes to a small shadow suddenly blocking his view of the sky.

"E-Eros?" Cas whispered, confused. He shielded his eyes against the sun and soon the slender figure of a young boy came into view. The young angel had grown since Cas last seen him, but his vessel's slanted eyes and curly black hair lent him an air of childish mischief. "Why are you here?"

"Because!" Eros exclaimed as he twirled around the meadow, "I have been watching you for a long time. I love the adventures you are always doing with your human friends. They are all so exciting!" Eros turned then and pulled at Castiel's arm until the angel was on his feet.

"But I have been getting bored of the story lately, Castiel. Just not enough dramatic flare with that angelic fog clogging up your emotion receptors. So I played around with a bit of angel magic and…I thought I would make you feel just a bit more human for a while."

"I hate to disappoint you, but I have already been human. Twice in fact," said Castiel as he retrieved his jacket.

"Oh yes yes," Eros went on his a chuckle, "but not like this. Tell me, what do your senses say to you Castiel? Is this the same sensations you had when you were a lowly fallen angel wearing the cloak of another man's body?" Castiel shook his head cautiously and studied the young boy before him. The smaller angel, perhaps wearing the vessel of a ten year old boy, circled him playfully as he spoke.

"I did not make you human Castiel, I took away the veil that father put on angels to stop them from feeling too much. You are the only angel among us who cares so deeply for these humans without falling the way Lucifer had done. This makes you the perfect person to experiment upon! Now, thanks to my help, you will have all your senses heightened and your emotions as well." Castiel did not like the sound of any of this. If his father had wanted for a veil to be in place to mask the senses and emotions angels feel, then there was good reason for it.

"Why did you do this?" Castiel asked, feeling panic rise in his throat like hot bile.

"Because I was bored!" Eros shouted and he spread his arms wide in emphasis. "Because I want to see what you will do. Because I am sick of watching you and your friends beat each other up instead of talking about how you really feel. You, Castiel, are the warmest of angel kind. So I want to see you burn hot like a beacon for a while."
"What if something happens? What if I put my friends in danger?" Castiel was wringing his hands, pleading with the boy, but he couldn't seem to control himself enough to stop. His worry was growing into panic again. This was getting very bad.

"Well I suggest that you don't do anything that would put your friends in danger for a while," Eros said with a shrug, "and don't worry too much over this Castiel. It would be a true disappointment if you were a blubbering mess the entire time you have this gift. Because, I regret to say that it will wear off eventually."

"How long will it take to wear off?" Castiel asked, but Eros shrugged.

"A day, two days, a week? I am uncertain. You are the first that I tried this on. I am just excited to see that it worked! But I am almost certain it will wear off. It is angel magic after all, and no magic is eternal. Now go! Let's have this game begin. I am eager to see where it takes us." And with that Eros was gone. The sound of his wings echoed in Cas's ears and he reached to cover them for a moment until it faded.

Trying to keep his breath steady, Cas looked down at his hands and saw they were shaking. This was bad. This was very very bad.