Author's note: Alright, so this is my first fanfiction I've ever done and really, this story took a whole other turn than I've planned. I swear, it's alive! Anyways, I thought it turned out alright in some way or another. I did succeed in keeping the focus on that I actually planned! The angels! Not just Castiel (Gosh, I love him) or the archangels. This is about angels generally, because I really think they need some love. I keep seeing them as one big family!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Supernatural universe, Eric Kripke does (and lucky him)

For an angel, heaven is home. Home like earth is home for humans. It's where they were created and cradled in the loving embrace of family. Not in the way humans do it though. Only when an angel is newly created do they get close to the same showing of affection as humans. The archangels would be the first. Cradled in the warm and powerful grace of the four archangels, the young angel would for the first time open its eyes and see... See everything there is and everything that is not. The grace would flicker nervously and weak, reaching out to its siblings' graces, like a new-born baby reaching their hand out to his or hers parents.
When the grace touches one of the sibling's graces, one of the archangels, the first bond would be made. The small and still weak grace would start to entwine itself with the other much more powerful grace. From that it would continue through all the others, first the other three archangels, but it would spread, flowing through all of heaven and connect with every single sibling, no matter how far away some of them might be. The grace would not seek their Father out, because it's from its Father's love and grace the angel was created from. They were already connected in the strongest bond.

And the angels would sing in all their beauty and glory, because the creation of an angel was as beautiful as Father Himself, and even earth would shine in delight. The clouds would disappear, making the sky more blue than ever and when the sun went down, all the stars would fall in a bow to the angel.

The first time they flew was much like the birds on earth. They were quick learners, but they always failed miserable the first time. Just instead of falling out from a nest in a tree, they fell from the highest mountains on earth (with other angels watching so they wouldn't REALLY get hurt). It was the first time they would be on earth, but as soon as they had learnt to fly, they would take off to heaven again.

Yes, an angel's home is heaven. Literally. Except for flying, there was nothing they had to learn. Having faith, to obey. Never to second-guess or doubt. That just was. They were warriors of God. Their Father they had never seen, but would blindly die for. Love. Love for their siblings, for their Father. Their life were easy, uncomplicated and they were a family. They didn't know.

Lucifer, the Morning Star did. He did know. He saw. It all went wrong after God created humans. Mud! God told them to love and serve the humans. Watch over them while they abused the power that God had given them. They were weak, confused by every single thing and most of all, they craved power. Lucifer could not, would not, do as God had asked. He loved his Father too much to ever be able to bow down to anyone else. So Michael, his own brother, threw him out of heaven and into the darkest pit of that became hell.

They were a broken family. Gabriel fled and even Raphael started believing that God really was dead. There was rarely a moment without bickering and fighting over stupid things, and all the while they would be thinking: "This is too human."
Heaven was a mess. Not for the humans though. Their heaven was still their own personal paradise, clueless to how the other end of heaven really was.

It was envy that made the angels graces twinge and curl together in confusion. They did not understand that was happening. Why their Father loved the humans more than them, why He gave them everything. Did He not see what was happening to the angels? They who were created first of all! His family!
But still they kept on without voicing their worries and doubts, desperately clinging to their faith. No bitter cry when one of their brethren fell to become humans. No asking why.

The angels started to die. As warriors, they knew how to kill. Demons, humans, it never affected them… But when the first angel died by the hands of another angel, every angel in heaven screamed in agony and grief. The apocalypse was over them and they didn't know whether to cheer or cry.

The two vessels for Michael and Lucifer were wrecks, but worst of all, stubborn. The angels soon realized that the humans never did want to make it easy at all. Lashing out with the worst kind of blasphemy, they succeeded in doing everything against their destiny. While the humans succeeded in tip toeing around the end of the world surprisingly well (not for the two Winchesters though), the angels found themselves with nothing. Michael was gone and they just didn't know what to do. Gabriel too was gone (the pain that had made their graces explode against their own being had been far worse than any other death of an angel).
They had done everything! Everything their Father had commanded. They were servants, warriors, created to obeying Him, to protect Him, but still He favored the humans. They accepted it, because that was their duty.

Shortly after the whole apocalypse had died out, the angel of Thursday came. Only, he seemed to be an archangel now, more powerful than any. Raphael was the first to fly to him, hovering over him with his sword lifted, but without attacking. They all knew that had happened. They had all seen and felt the death of the angel (twice had that happened now), even though he had actually not even been an angel at the moment. That had been kind of confusing as well.

They surrounded the new archangel, bewildered and confused. Brother, why? They asked without really asking. It went through heaven like a hymn, flowing around them with the same beauty as when they sang. Brother, brother… And also, the first sign of their Father. This was the second time their brother had been brought back and it really wasn't a question anymore whether it was God's will or not.
They didn't know what to do - if they could forgive the angel standing before them. He had killed his own brethren and that could not be forgiven. "I am sorry." They were the only words their brother spoke and really, it was not supposed to be enough. They all felt the empty space deep within them where their brothers and sisters had once been, but now they were gone and it just hurt so badly.

Please, Father…

And they knew. They knew they could not kill the former angel of Thursday. Not because it was God's will (even though, as angels, that would be enough) but because they felt it. The feeling from when a new angel was created. When their family was whole and heaven was bathed in pure light of grace and happiness.
They remembered and they felt, so they reached. Reached to the angel with their grace, to their brother they had once forsaken.

And they grabbed.

Brother, you are home.

Alright, just so everyone is sure, it's Castiel in the end. I read somewhere he was the angel of Thursday, which I found really darn cute.

I hope you enjoyed reading this... Maybe a little confusing story.