Extinguished

By certifiedfangirl67

This is my very first published fic, so I hope you all enjoy! Reviews are welcome, as well as ideas for future works. There are thirteen chapters and an epilogue, and most of the chapters are short. Thanks for reading!

Castiel has rediscovered an angel he worked very close with, but there's one major problem—she doesn't know who he is, nor does she remember anything about her angelic life. Castiel soon finds out the reason: her grace has been taken. It becomes his mission, along with the help of the Winchester brothers, to restore her grace, but the question remains—will she want it back? Set in a slight AU about mid-season nine.

Chapter One

Castiel could sense that there was an angel somewhere on the university campus, but he could not pinpoint its exact location. Seated on a bench, he scanned the faces of the passing students and professors, searching for the tell-tale glow of a vessel's occupation. The bench shook under the weight of a young woman who seated herself behind Castiel. The headphones over her ears kept her withdrawn from the activities around her, so Castiel let her be and continued his search. He became aware of the presence growing stronger, but the more he felt it, the more he could tell that there was something off about it. The feeling was unsettling. He had to find this angel, and quickly. A voice over his shoulder pulled him away from his mission.

"Excuse me. Do you have a pencil? All I have with me are pens."

Castiel turned to the woman behind him, a student, judging by her laid-back appearance and the plaid backpack that her hands had disappeared into. He opened his mouth to respond, but his voice caught in his throat as his eyes rested on hers in recognition. He watched as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you okay?" she asked tentatively as she removed her headphones. Castiel blinked and lightly shook his head in an attempt to brush off the cacophony of thoughts flooding his mind.

"What are you doing here? What's happened to you?" he asked. The woman turned to face Castiel directly, placing her hand on the back of the bench as though the action would lend sense to his words.

"I'm sorry… Do I know you?"

His expression fell as the truth came into focus. "Oh, Leah," he whispered, reaching out his hand to stroke her cheek, "what have they done to you?"

The woman recoiled from the fingers reaching for her face and stood up from the bench. "How did you…? You know what? I—I have to go. Now. Sorry." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Leah, wait –"

She pivoted to face him again, retreating backwards. "Yeah, no, sorry, I'm—I'm late for class," she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. She spun and walked away hurriedly, her gaze fixed on the sidewalk, but stopped short when Castiel suddenly appeared in front of her. She whipped her head around to look at the bench where she had left him standing, now vacant. She looked back to him, shaking with increased anxiety. "How did you…?" Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for the right words. Castiel held his hand up, trying to ease her tension.

"Please, don't be afraid. I can help you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come with me. I can take you somewhere safe."

The girl dropped her backpack to the ground, intending to run. She inhaled to let out a cry for help, but no sound could escape her throat before her breath was taken away by the intense sensation of being pulled through space. In what felt like a matter of seconds, she found herself stumbling on a road in the middle of the woods with the strange man at her side. Regaining her balance, she took in her surroundings, hardly daring to breathe. Once she had circled back around to Castiel, she was finally able to speak.

"What the hell was that? Where are we? What did you just do?"

"Please, be calm."

She stared at him incredulously. "Be calm? Be calm? Are you insane?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked intently into her eyes, trying to subdue her anxiety. "Listen, I will explain everything I can once I get you to a safe place. I'm not sure what they did to you, but I promise that I will do everything in my power to fix you, Leah."

She pushed his hands away in frustration. "What the hell are you talking about, 'fix me'? Who—who did what to me? And how the hell do you know my name?" She put her hands to her head and closed her eyes, feeling dizzy from the surge of adrenaline. "Oh, this is crazy," she whispered.

Castiel surveyed the woods surrounding them with growing concern. "Leah, please. We need to move."

"Move where? Where are you taking me?"

The sound of air blowing through a tunnel drew Castiel's attention to the sky. His expression turned to one of intense worry. He took Leah by the wrist and pulled her close to him, demanding her attention. "I need you to listen to me very carefully. Follow the road, that way," he instructed, pointing. "About a half-mile down you will see a door embedded on the hillside. Go there. That's where you'll find the Winchesters. They'll keep you safe."

She felt completely at a loss. "The Winchesters? What?"

"You need to go, now!"

"I don't—" The sound of wings interrupted her protest as the angels arrived—a trio of sharply dressed predators with a lock on their prey.