"Dean. This is dire. We don't have time to ask your brother for permission. I need your answer now!" Cas' cerulean eyes were wide with frenzy. His hair was disheveled and he shook from the pain of keeping himself contained within his vessel.
Dean ran his hands through his hair, trying to make sense of everything that had just been dumped on him. Cas showed up in the motel room, covered in blood. Dean's not sure whose blood it is but from the angel's torn clothes and tendency to wince when he moves, he thinks he has an idea. Cas won't say what's wrong. Something about being punished and no escape. He's asking him for help. Cas needs him to do something. He doesn't know what to say and Sam isn't here to help him make a decision.
"Wait a minute Cas. I don't understand what you want me to do." Dean stood and tried not to look so worried despite how he felt.
"We fought Raphael and we lost. He is in command now and all who defied him are being destroyed. They're shredding our wings and stripping us of our grace. His wrath is certain, without your help."
"How do you expect me to help you? You know better than I do that I won't stand a chance in a fight with Raphael."
"Of course I know that. But I'm not asking you to fight for me. I'm asking you to hide something for me." The angel held Dean's gaze. "I'm asking you to take my grace."
"No, Cas. Your grace? That's ridiculous! You don't want Raphael to take it but you'll let me? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?"
"You don't understand. If they get it, I will be destroyed. Just like Anna. But if you have it-"
"You fall."
"Yes. And that will give me more time to find a way to beat Raphael. Please Dean. It may be my last chance. I can die now, or you can help me live just a little while longer."
After a moment, Dean nodded. He hated the way Cas said that, but it was the truth. "Alright, Cas. Let's do it."
Cas nodded and smiled at the man. "Thank you. You might want to cover your eyes."
Taking a few steps back, Dean warily watched Cas. The angel closed his eyes and a strange buzzing filled the room, steadily growing louder. He then began to glow a bright burning white and soon Dean had to squeeze his eyes shut from the intensity of it. The buzzing turned into a high-pitched screech that rattled the walls. Under the unearthly noise, Dean could hear Cas' human voice screaming as he ripped himself open to remove his grace.
In an instant, the noise and light vanished. The room was left silent and Dean's ears rang. He lowered his hand to look at Cas. He looked exactly the same. Dean stepped closer and inspected his friend.
"You're human now?"
Panting, Cas shrugged. "Yeah. I am." He held up his hand. A silver chain dangled from it holding a glowing charm.
Dean reached out and felt the warm light in his hand. As he held it he thought how odd it was. It was small but it felt so heavy. And almost like it was moving. Then all at once something hit him from behind. He fell to the floor, landing heavily on his shoulder. He rolled and looked up to see Raphael standing over him.
"Well isn't this a nice surprise. Now I don't have to worry about you putting up a fight when I kill you. And I don't have to waste my time digging for this either." The angel reached down toward Castiel's grace, lying on the floor by Dean's boot.
Dean quickly snatched it away from Raphael and rolled back out of the way. He stood and pressed himself up against the wall.
Raphael sneered at Dean. "Brother. Your pet seems to think I'm playing a game with him. I thought you would have trained him better. No matter, I'll teach him how to behave."
"No." Castiel stepped between the archangel and Dean. "I surrender. You may take my grace."
"Cas-" Dean started.
Castiel turned around. "I'm sorry Dean. I was wrong. Thank you for trying."
Raphael smiled. "And thank you for making this easy on us both." He looked back towards Dean. "Give me his grace."
Dean looked from Raphael to Cas. There really didn't seem to be a way out. He looked down at the light in his hand.
"Give it to me!" Raphael demanded.
"Dean. It's over. We lost."
Dean looked at Cas' face. He had been wrong. The former angel had changed. Dean could see the emotion in Castiel's features now. He looked sad, afraid, hopeless. He shook his head. "No. It's not over." He raised his fist and threw the orb in his hand to the ground.
"Dean! No!" Cas yelled. But without his powers he had no way of reaching Dean in time to keep his grace from shattering to the floor.
The room suddenly burst into light and Dean felt the warmth that he had felt in his hand envelope his entire body. A heaviness pressed down on him at the same time that he felt himself become weightless. It was an odd, exhilarating feeling that only amplified as he felt the brand new pull of muscles between his shoulder blades extending out to form enormous wings. When he looked over his shoulder though, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"This is impossible!" Raphael shouted. "Humans cannot absorb the divine grace!"
Dean smirked. "Well then, isn't this a nice surprise?" A chrome blade appeared in his hand with a single thought and he launched himself at the archangel. The blade cut straight through the angel's body before Raphael even had time to register what was happening. A second later the mighty archangel was no more.
Turning back to Cas, Dean eyed the blade, impressed. "That was easier than I thought it would be."