Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Les Miserables.

To See the Face of God

The day had finally arrived. Castiel waited with bated breath for the signal to raise the barricade, his heart beating fast in his chest.

He probably shouldn't be here. It's not like he doesn't believe in the cause, because he does believe that people should be free and stand as equals. However, he came to France to live with his brother Gabriel and study theology and mythology. He had left America in order to not be a soldier, being the first in the family to openly reject it.

So why was he here?

A glance to his right answered his question: Dean Winchester.

Castiel had met the young man after pulling him out of a bar fight against way too many opponents. Not the best of meetings, but it became one of the most important moments of his life. Before he had only read about it in the books he always had his nose stuck in, but at that moment, Cas, as Dean had dubbed him shortly after, knew what "love at first sight" felt like.

Castiel had fallen for Dean.

Castiel made sure to hide his feelings. France may be more open-minded about this sort of thing and Cas knew, despite what the Bible said, that it wasn't wrong, but Dean was painfully heterosexual. He obviously did not reciprocate Cas's feelings. If Cas told him, then he would probably lose Dean and he didn't want to risk his friendship with Dean for anything.

Dean and his brother Sam were traveling across Europe to see the sights. Yet here they were helping this righteous cause; they weren't ones to step down from a fight or let people get kicked around. Despite it not being their country, they believed in allowing people freedom. Cas couldn't help but admire their belief in this cause.

The only reason he was here was to protect Dean. He believed in the cause but he cared more about Dean, and he could tell this venture would not end well, maybe for all of them there.

And last night had been a painful reminder that he would never have Dean. It had been treated as if it would be their last night on Earth. Saying that there was no way he was going to let his best friend die a virgin, Dean had dragged Cas, Sam, and Gabriel to a bar and had proceeded to flirt with every woman there. Despite claiming to have a sweetheart at home named Lisa, he eventually left with a pretty blonde, thinking that Cas was going to have sex with a lady named Chastity. Cas had ditched her the moment Dean's back was turned while he was still there and had joined Sam along the back wall in order to hide from his friend. The entire night Sam had given Cas an apologetic look, almost like he knew.

It wouldn't surprise him. All of his brothers and sisters, especially Gabriel and Balthazar, always told him he was a terrible liar.

Cas was jolted from his thoughts from a hand smacking him on his shoulders.

"Relax, Cas." Dean grinned at him. "We're gonna win this."

"Forgive me for not being as optimistic. We will be fighting the army." Cas replied, his monotone not really conveying his nervousness.

Dean laughed and Cas felt his heart lighten a bit. "How about you leave to fighting to us brawlers? You intellectuals can go back to your books and wait." He indicated both Castiel and Sam.

Sam gave his brother a bitch face, cut Cas could hear Gabriel chuckling beside him and knew he was smirking.

"I don't know, Dean-o." Gabriel said. "Don't piss off the intellectuals."

"What's he going to do? Hit me with a book?" Dean asked, but before anyone could answer him, the signal came.

For a short while, there was really no thinking. There was just the rush to get a barricade up that would protect them until the people joined them in rebellion. This may not have been the main barricade, but it was important to at least protect themselves.

However, it still wasn't ready when Castiel heard the steady beat of soldiers marching in step.

They needed more time.

"Gabriel." Cas looked at his brother, who nodded in return. It was odd seeing his mischievous brother so solemn. But as Gabriel put it, if there was an opportunity to mess with the government and court anarchy, he was there with a front row seat.

Cas and Gabriel grabbed and drew their swords before sneaking to the corner where the soldiers would appear. When the others had seen them bring swords while guns and ammunition were being gathered, they had laughed, saying that the fighting wouldn't be in close quarters. They also said that it wouldn't take long for the people to join them and the army would be unable to resist them.

While Castiel and Gabriel were well versed in guns, they actually followed family tradition for once in excelling with their skills of using blades. And when the guns stalled and ammunition ran out and the soldiers started crawling over the barrier, they would still have their swords.

As they approached the corner, Cas thought he heard Dean calling for him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as the first soldiers appeared.

That's when the two brothers struck.

Soldiers are used to staying in straight lines and shooting at each other. If it does come to close combat, they exchange blows with the long part of the musket until there's an opportunity to stab their opponent with their bayonet. Most are not trained in swordplay or hand-to-hand, and since they do not expect to be attacked while marching, they were basically sitting ducks.

Castiel ducked and weaved, slicing and dicing. He danced around his opponents in a deadly whirl of blades. Occasionally, he found Gabriel at his back as the two tore through the front lines. The soldiers didn't even have enough time to try to defend themselves or counterattack. Castiel would probably feel bad for them if he didn't know that Enjolras had already refused to surrender and the soldiers were probably setting up snipers to ambush them when they were safe.

"It's done!" Cas heard Dean call, and the brothers made a timely retreat, scrambling over the barricade before the soldiers could take a shot at them.

"Thanks." He told Dean as the man helped him down. Cas took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his blade and offered it to Gabriel as he sheathed his sword. It was at that point Cas realized that almost everyone was staring at them. This was okay since the chaos they had caused would buy them a few more minutes, but it was a bit unnerving. "What?" He asked.

Shock was all over Dean's face. "What the hell?!" He gestured wildly towards the carnage on the other side of the barricade. "You're a bookworm! You shouldn't be capable of that sort of thing!"

Castiel frowned at him. "Says who?"

Gabriel laughed as he handed the bloody handkerchief back to Cas who tucked it into the pocket of his overcoat. "We're from a family of soldiers, Dean-o. We started learning how to fight before we could even stand up. The entire family would participate in war games to prepare for combat." He gave a cheeky grin. "Cassie here was one of our best tacticians. He definitely has the brains for it." He ruffled Cas's perpetual bed head.

"What?" Dean looked at Cas as if he'd never seen him before.

"Cassie was also the rebellious one who broke tradition. Sure, I had run away before that," Gabriel frowned a bit at that and looked at his younger brother, "and you never told me how you found me, but Cas didn't want to be a soldier and left. Now half of the family has left to do their own things."

Sam looked curious, since the brothers rarely mentioned their family and had only named a few. "How many are you anyway?"

"Let's see." Gabriel looked thoughtful as he peered over the barricade and checked on the soldiers' activities. They were still trying to get around the large amount of corpses. "There's Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, me, Joshua, Uriel, Anneal, Hannah, Balthazar, Samandriel, and our little Cassie here. Then we've got our one set of cousins: Zachariah, Naomi, Virgil, Ion, Metatron, Bartholomew, Malachi, and Hester. And then there's our other set of cousins: Rachel, Rebecca, Ephraim, Inias, Gadreel, Muriel, and Ezekiel. Don't even get me started on the second cousins." He looked over to see Sam and Dean staring at him. "What? We have a big family that's obsessed with angel names. Don't blame me!"

Dean seemed to shake himself. "Wow. And you caused some sort of big split." He looked at Cas with something like admiration in his eyes.

"Yep! Joshua became a gardener, Anna ran off with some guy who got her pregnant, Hannah got married and settled down, Balthy moved to England and is some sort of hotshot thief, and Samandriel started a sausage business." Gabriel shrugged. "I could go on for hours about the fairly ordinary lives some of cousins have found."

"Why?" Dean asked, staring into Cas's eyes.

"I'm not some sort of hammer. I wanted the freedom to choose my own path." Castiel picked up a musket and checked to make sure it was loaded. He looked up and picked out the spots most likely to have snipers. Then he peeked over the barricade. "Prepare yourselves. They're coming."

Dean squared his shoulders and Sam readied his own musket.

There wasn't much conversations after that as the two sides exchanged blows in the first scrimmage. There were yells as people were hit or needed more ammunition, but that was all. It was all a blur of adrenaline and desperation. Castiel knew that his companions were finally figuring out that this was not a game or some sort of glorious revolution. It was just blood and tears mixed with death. There was nothing wonderful about it.

Finally, the bullets stopped coming as the soldiers went to regroup. Castiel, Gabriel, the Winchesters, and their companions enjoyed the moment to catch their breath and take a quick drink. Luckily, no one from their side had been lost yet. The sun would set soon.

"You're leaving, Sammy." Cas heard Dean's familiar growl close by, but lowered. He turned to see Dean arguing with his brother in low tones. Sam was obviously protesting being sent away if his bitch face was any indication.

"I started this fight! I'm staying until the end, Dean. Just because you're older than me does not make you my boss. Besides, you're staying, so why shouldn't I?" Sam's voice started attracting the others' attention, and Cas and Gabriel managed to subtly move the two to have their argument in a more private area.

"Dammit, Sam! My job is to protect you, and I can't really do that here. There's nothing more important to me than you, got it? So, you're leaving and that's final." Dean was finally putting his foot down and he had that look on his face that meant there was no point arguing.

Cas knew he probably shouldn't intervene but he couldn't help it. Sam was his friend, and Dean was missing some obvious facts. "Dean…"

Dean turned to him. "Stay out of this, Cas." He growled. "It's none of your fucking business. We don't need you here."

Castiel flinched a bit at Dean's words. It felt like someone had stabbed him, but he pressed on. "Sam probably can't leave." He held up a hand to cut off Dean's argument. "It's not that simple anymore, Dean. The army probably has guards or other men flanking the various exits from this place for the exact purpose of picking off anyone who tries to leave. They will make an example of us whether we die here or die fleeing." He straightened up to his full height and though he didn't realize it, he himself looked every inch of a battle-hardened soldier. "Where would you prefer?"

Gabriel looked impressed with his brother's backbone. Cas usually just rolled over for Dean, but it appeared that he could hold his own.

Cas turned on his heel and walked away from the group.

Dean cursed. "Why hasn't anyone come to help?" He kicked the near-by wall.

Gabriel sighed at his childishness. "The other barricades have probably already fallen and if they haven't then they have their own problems." He took a piece of hard candy out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

"I meant the people! Where are they?"

Gabriel and Sam exchange looks, having both figured out what was going to happen like Cas. "They're scared, Dean." Sam said gently. "They probably aren't coming."

"Dammit!" Dean cursed again and stomped back over to the barricade, the other two following in his wake.

Night fell and most of their companions seemed to relax a bit. They assumed that there would not be another attack until the morning. Castiel and Gabriel knew better and so kept a watch.

It was the middle of the night when it happened. Castiel was running a cursory glance over the rooftops when he saw a glint of metal. A sniper was up on the roof, positioned and ready to fire.

He was aiming at Dean.

"Dean!" Without a moment's thought, Cas launched himself at Dean, taking a bullet straight through the chest.

"Snipers! Fire!" Gabriel commanded, not able to take a second to check on his youngest brother.

Dean caught Castiel as he fell. He held Cas to his chest with one hand and quickly put pressure on the wound even though it was obviously too late.

To the two of them, the sounds of fighting faded away and it was like there was only the two of them in the universe.

"Hello, Dean." Cas said shakily as he could literally feel the life leaking from him.

"Don't worry, Cas. It'll be fine – you'll be fine." Dean replied. He pressed harder on the hole, eliciting a pained groan from Castiel.

"You know, you always complain," Here Cas took in a sharp breath, "about us never having a proper meeting and that I'm terrible at goodbyes." His eyes were glassy and distant.

Dean hated it.

"Well, this isn't goodbye, you son of a bitch." Dean didn't release the pressure on Cas's chest and tried to bring him even closer. "We'll win this and you'll live, okay? You still need to convince me to read the damn Bible."

A broken chuckle escaped from Cas's lips along with a stream of blood. "You need to promise me." His hand came up, shaking, and gripped Dean's shoulder. He looked Dean right in the eye, determination flooding the dimming blue. "You need to promise me that you will live, Dean."

"Yes, I promise." Dean's voice broke, too, and those were definitely not tears in his eyes. "But you'll be right there to make sure."

"No, I won't." Cas was still trying to be gentle to Dean even in his state.

"Dammit!" Dean growled and he pushed harder, trying to stop the flow of blood. "Why are you even here? You hate fighting."

"You're here." Cas replied softly. "I decided to protect you, and I did." A smile crossed his face.

"This is my fault." Reality slammed into Dean. Despite the earlier carnage, it didn't really hit him until now what they were doing. Now, his best friend was literally dying in his arms.

"It's not about fault. It's about will." The hand on Dean's shoulder came up to his face. "This is my choice, Dean."

"Why? You're not some sort of guardian angel! You don't need to protect me!" Dean didn't get it. Castiel was good, a bookworm but a totally awesome fighter who treated the world like it was something precious. Why give up everything for someone like him?

"You deserve to be saved." Cas gave him a stern look despite the blood dripping from his mouth and the breaths that kept getting shallower. "Also, Ruth 1:16-17 describes it pretty well."

A watery laugh escaped Dean's throat. "Just told you that I haven't read the damn book."

"Mmm…" Cas hummed. There was a short silence, as he didn't elaborate. Then:

"Goodbye, Dean."

The hand fell down, and the blue eyes closed. The spark of Castiel's life had been snuffed out.

He was dead.

For a moment, Dean couldn't breath. "Cas? Castiel?" He shook his friend a bit, but there was no response. Dean was reluctant to take his hand away from the wound despite the fact that there was no point anymore.

"Dean! Dean!" It was Sam's shout that dragged Dean out of his stupor, and Dean yanked his eyes away from his fallen friend.

Dean realized that he was sitting in the middle of a combat zone. Sam gave him a shaky, yet sad, smile of relief at his coming back to reality.

Gunshots and the resulting smoke filled the air. Dean also discovered that it was raining. He hadn't even felt it. The water was ruining their already limited supply of powder. Still, Gabriel commanded the men like he was born for it, having the men take out the snipers and then focusing fire on the ever-approaching troops.

Dean set down Castiel and picked up a musket. He was going to take down every son of a bitch he could for killing his friend. His friend that may have meant more to him than he ever cared to admit.

Finally, even Gabriel had to admit that they had lost. "If you want to die, stay here!" He said, making his way down from the top of the barricade. "Otherwise, get away as best as you can!"

Dean made a move to replace Gabriel at the top, but an iron-like grip clamped around his arm. Frustrated, he turned to yell at the culprit but found himself face to face with Sam.

"You promised." Sam's gentle reminder along with the puppy dog eyes left Dean defenseless.

"Dammit!" He whispered as he dropped the gun, looking over to where Gabriel was gazing at his baby brother's corpse. He had no clue what it would feel like if it were his brother lying there. Even though it wasn't Sam, it still felt like someone had ripped out his heart, and it made Dean feel even guiltier for the words he had snarled at Cas earlier.

To his surprise, Gabriel bent down and gently picked Castiel up in a bridal hold. Both of their swords lay on top of him and he looked over to see Dean's puzzled expression. "I'm not leaving him to those wolves." He glanced over to see that the soldiers were practically at the barricade, and then turned solemn amber eyes to the Winchesters. "Follow me."

Dean didn't know how they managed to get there without any soldiers finding them. Gabriel led them through the twists and turns of the streets of Paris, occasionally having them duck into allies and under bridges. Eventually, they came to an apartment that Gabriel quickly unlocked and ushered them all in. The place was small yet tidy, obviously one of Gabriel's bolt holes.

Gabriel gently laid his brother down on one of the beds, sadness creasing his features. He pushed some of the hair out of Cas's face before sighing and turning around. "We're safe now. As long as they don't find us at the barricade or surrounding area, we can get off with no problems. They can't prove we were there."

"What about Cas?" Dean's voice was quiet as he leaned against the wall and Sam slumped into a chair.

"I'll take him home. We'll bury him properly." Gabriel grimaced a bit and went over to a basin to wash some of the blood off his hands. "You know, Castiel may have disliked the family's way of trying to conform him to their standards, but he did love our home." He gestured for the Winchesters to come over. "Clean yourselves up. There will be much to do in the morning."

Both brothers got rid of the blood and gunpowder and mud that coated their bodies. Gabriel retired to the other bedroom and told the boys they could have the living room.

Dean, however, couldn't take his eyes off of Castiel. Guilt and despair warred within him.

Sam noticed.

"Did you – " Sam started to ask.

"Yes." Dean's voice was sharp and short.

Sam looked surprised. "But you knew that he – "

"Yes." Again, Dean voice cut out like a whip. After all, it's not like Cas had been great at hiding things.

Sam's face clouded with anger. "Then, why, Dean? Why didn't you tell him? He thought that – "

"I know, Sam!" This time Dean ran a hand down his face. "It wouldn't have changed anything." He said softly. "It's not right."

Sam was silent. Eventually, his voice came to Dean as soft as moonlight. "I don't think love is ever wrong, Dean. With everything else to condemn a man, I don't think God judges people for loving." He paused. "And in this case, it was the love of a man that saved you." Leaving Dean with his thoughts, he made his way to the couch to get some sleep.

Dean didn't do much for the rest of the night. At one point, he cleaned up Castiel's body because he couldn't stand looking at it so bloody and broken. Then he just sat there, some of Gabriel's alcohol in his hand, staring at him.

Just as the last stars were leaving the sky, curiosity struck Dean and he scrounged up Gabriel's Bible, which was luckily in English, and turned to the Book of Ruth.

As he read the verses that Cas had told him, he felt tears well up in his eyes. "Dammit, Cas." The book dropped to the floor, and the first rays of the sun illuminated Cas's reasons for following Dean in the fray.

Do not press me to leave you, or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die – there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you. (Ruth 1:16-17)

Dean huffed out a laugh around his tears. "I guess this means you'll still be looking out for me, huh, Cas?" He wiped his eyes and watched the sun rise. "Guess that really makes you a guardian angel now, huh."

Up in Heaven, Castiel smiled and looked down at Dean.

"I'll watch over you."

AN: Wow. I really put these people through a lot of pain. It's because I love you Castiel! And Dean doesn't appreciate you unless you're dead. Anyway, I got the idea of this fic back at the beginning of summer when one of my brothers was in the stage production, but I also like the movie as well. Eponine is probably one of my favorite characters, and in some ways she reminds me a lot of Castiel. Seriously though, there are so many Les Mis songs that work with SPN and its characters. I can't even start. The title is actually taken from a line in Les Mis's epilogue. The verse is:

"Take my hand
I'll lead you to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken
That to love another person
Is to see the face of God."

See! Doesn't it fit?!

Okay. Rant over.