Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. If I did, I probably wouldn't be freaking out about the upcoming season premiere.

Happy Birthday, Castiel! Seven years ago, you came down to Earth, and we are eternally grateful.

Breathe

Angels were created long before most other things. There were, of course, things that were older than them: Leviathan, Death, Darkness, Archangels, and God all came before them. Still, it didn't change how angels were around before most of creation.

Humans came after angels, and they were without a doubt God's favorites. His last order that he gave to all angels, after the war with Lucifer and his allies, was for angels to love these creations more than they loved him. And eventually, no one knew exactly when, he left his children to fend for themselves.

There were many reactions to this order in regards to humans. Many, like Uriel, scoffed and disliked them. They were only too happy to wipe them out if needed. Some were jealous of the freedom bestowed upon them such as Anael. Some, like Hannah and Samandriel, found them worth protecting but kept them at arm's length. And, as everyone knows, Lucifer and his ilk became filled with jealousy at them having God's attention and responded with hatred, and they didn't cared who knew it.

For most angels, this order was impossible, but at the very least they tolerated humanity's existence.

Castiel had always found them intriguing.

He remembered seeing the first fish crawl out of the ocean. He watched all animals of the land come forth from that feat. Animals rose and fell, gained dominance and were wiped out, and evolved as the planet turned and years passed without being marked on any calendar.

Then humans came to be and gained dominion over the Earth.

By that time, despite being the youngest, Castiel had risen through the ranks and become the Captain, the leader, of the Garrison. His garrison was assigned to watch the Earth. Most of the angels considered it to be the worse assignment, but Castiel loved it.

He watched as humans developed language and the angel would sit by their campfires unseen, listening to their tales. He watched them adapt and learn and grow stronger. They developed tools and towns, new foods and new buildings.

It was amazing.

Castiel would return to his comrades and try to talk about what he had seen, but no one cared to listen. No one really cared at all.

They would watch over humans and prevent them from harm, but none of them would get to know them. None of them would really love them.

Castiel did.

And though he would never really remember it, he was punished for doing so. No one thought about how he was doing just what their Father had wanted, but then again, that wasn't the whole reason he found himself loving them.

Castiel watched them for a long time. Many years passed again, though now the humans numbered their own years as well as the years that had been and would be. The angels withdrew from the Earth after the Son rose to Heaven, with the exception of those who were assigned there such as cupids and the Garrison, and still he watched humans.

Castiel had dwelled among the people of Earth, but he had never walked among them.

The angel had always wondered if there was a difference.

Things were different now though. Everything was different now.

Castiel had found and raised the Righteous Man from Hell. It had been too late to stop the first seal from breaking, but there was something about the human that drew the angel to him and made him believe that he could stop the Apocalypse.

To his disappointment though, Dean Winchester, as the Righteous Man was called, could not hear his voice. It was also highly likely that he would not be able to see him as well.

Still, he had to guide him, fight with him, and stand by his side. Therefore, for the first time in his existence, he had to take a vessel. He probably would have anyway, but now it was truly a necessity.

Jimmy said yes.

Castiel gathered up his multitude of wavelengths and compressed them as he poured himself into his vessel. He felt his wings adjust as they came through the back of his new form and twitched as he got used to his new state of being.

It took a mere moment in reality, but it was so different than what he had been expecting as different senses assailed him.

The air smelled different, the scent of the trees, bushes, grass, and car parked in the driveway drifting into his nostrils. He could feel the wind brushing against his cheek, the currents of this plane of existence never touching him before. He could hear that breeze and the sounds from both inside the house behind him and far off into the distance. He could taste whatever Jimmy had last eaten still lingering on his tongue.

Air filled his lungs as Castiel took a breath, the first one he had ever taken in a physical form. Blood flowed through his veins as his heart pounded. It was all so different to what he had ever felt before. It was like he had been floating through space but now he was stopped, anchored to a single point.

Most of all Castiel could see through a human's eyes. The stars looked so distant that they were specks in the sky. The colors were slightly different than when he was in his true form. He lifted one of his hands and watched as he curled and uncurled his fingers. So unlike his hand in his true form, it was small and warm and covered in flesh, though he knew that it now had his hidden strength behind it.

Castiel looked up and around drinking in the sights around him. It was all so different and yet the same. He couldn't help but think that this was what it was like to see from a human's perspective. It was just as phenomenal as he thought it would be.

In a moment, he knew he would have to return to his task and find the Righteous Man, Dean Winchester, who was surely looking for him. Still, he took that moment for himself.

And thus, for the first time in almost 2000 years, an angel walked the Earth. It was the first step to a new chapter in the history of the planet, though no one but God knew that. For this would be the angel to not only walk the Earth, but walk among the humans as watcher, protector, and one of them.

For now though, Castiel breathed.

AN: So I wrote this back in July, but I decided to save it for today, because it's Castiel's birthday (aka the day he gripped Dean tight and raised him from perdition and then picked up Jimmy as a vessel). So Happy Birthday, Castiel! I basically was re-watching the clip from when Cas possesses Jimmy and there's just this sense of wonder as he looks around. And given his past, I think it's because he never thought that he would have to take a vessel and experience what that entails. So this is basically just my take on what lead up to that reaction and how he was feeling. Also, upon watching that clip again, I realized that angels taking vessels used to be a lot cooler looking (as now it's just glowing smoke entering through the mouth like a demon). I hope you enjoyed this tribute.