Burning Brightly
by: Karasu Kyra
She remembers a time when it had resounded through Heaven, orders from God Himself.
Dean Winchester is saved.
And only now, after watching her brothers and sisters fall, after having joined Castiel in his fight against Metatron, did Hannah get to meet the great Dean Winchester. But, she sees it. She knows the others see it too, knows Castiel sees it burning on the man's arm.
The Mark of Cain.
Just the thought makes her recoil. She is not old enough to have seen the havoc that Cain and the other Knights of Hell wrought down on Earth, but she remembers the stories, has seen them as vivid as her own memories. The Mark of Cain is not a punishment from the Father, it is a curse born of the Morningstar.
Still, the Commander defends this man, tells them that he is to be trusted, that he is loved by Castiel. The aggression, the blood on this man's hands is all she can see, burning brightly in that awful Mark, radiating like a poison, seeping slowly through the air, and that, not Metatron's words, is why she must do this.
"Punish him," she speaks, looking at the tainted man. An Angel of Heaven would not let the Mark continue to burn, would not let this man's sins continue unpunished. "We gave you our trust. Don't lose it over one man."
She sees Castiel struggling, and that is an answer to her. Castiel will choose Dean Winchester as he has always chosen Dean Winchester. The resolve falls over his face, and his lips confirm what she already knew, "No. I can't."
She purses her lips. "Goodbye, Castiel."
An army for one man.
Dean Winchester is saved.