Title: The Grace of God
Rating: K
Characters: Castiel
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort
Setting: Between episodes 7.02, "Hello, Cruel World," and 7.03, "The Girl Next Door".
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. This story is for fan purposes only, and not for personal financial gain.
A/N: In Christian theology, the seraphim are the highest rank of angelic being, serving at the throne of God. The name Hannah comes from the Hebrew Channah, meaning "grace," altogether rather fitting for an angel.
~o0o~
"Hannah," He said, addressing her quietly. The seraph focused her celestial being on her Father, prepared to accept His orders. "Would you spare me a moment?"
"What is Your command, Father?" she asked obediently, and not without some measure of curiosity. She had spent the better part of two millenia silently observing her brothers and sisters in Heaven, and the humans on Earth. More grief had come to her in the last two years than in the two thousand before, but she had done her duty and stood by, however much it pained her to watch. She might not know or understand His plan, but she would abide by it, come what may.
"It's Castiel," He replied after a moment, His countenance sorrowful. "You've seen his latest folly, I'm sure."
"How could I not, Father?" Hannah's heavenly glow diminished slightly as she contemplated the younger angel's blasphemy: working in partnership with the foul demon Crowley, opening Purgatory, even claiming to be God Himself in his madness! She had always loved Castiel; he cared for humans, even though he didn't understand them, but his recent actions had been truly horrifying to the seraph, as he devolved into a creature she didn't even recognize anymore. It had broken her heart to see his descent into darkness. "It is truly terrible to behold, Father. What is it you need of me?"
"In his death, Castiel has loosed the Leviathan upon the world," He observed sadly.
Her glow dimmed even further. The Leviathan had been imprisoned in Purgatory for reasons that Castiel knew as well as any of them. The havoc they would wreak across Earth would be immeasurable. Castiel would find no peace in death. "What do you intend, Father?"
"I am sending him back again," her Father replied simply. "I hold him even now in the palm of My hand."
Hannah's celestial wavelength flared abruptly in shock and disbelief. "Why, Father? After all he has done, why have you saved Castiel - again? He has been the author of so much woe in so short a time, not even a breath in the span of the universe! He rejected You, he blasphemed in the worst possible way! Why will you restored him to life?"
He did not answer her for a moment. "Hannah, Castiel's sins are many, yes. And your righteous indignation on My behalf is understandable, and appreciated for what it is. But if it is My will to forgive Castiel, are you going to stand in My way?" he asked, ever so gently chiding.
The seraph was immediately chagrined, shrinking in on herself. "Of course not, Father. Please forgive my presumption."
"Of course, Hannah," He replied kindly. "However, Castiel must also learn to forgive himself. In death, he wouldn't accept My forgiveness. Uriel was right that Castiel picked up a few bad habits from humans, though he was totally wrong about what those habits were," He mused.
Hannah did not grieve overmuch over Uriel's passing, though she did mourn that it was at Anna's hands that he died. Uriel's cruelty and disdain for human life was rivaled only by Lucifer's, and Castiel's toward the end. "What do you mean, Father?"
"Castiel didn't believe he deserved to be forgiven. Which is totally absurd. My grace is not earned or deserved, after all, but freely given. Castiel needs to remember this. Which is why I'm sending him back to Earth. But..." He paused significantly. "I will let him heal in the peace of forgetfulness for the time being. And in forgetting the past, he will remember himself, and eventually realize that, despite everything he's done, I love him, and forgive him, always and completely."
Her Father never revealed His whole plan to anyone, not even his chosen seraphim. He had, no doubt, more reasons than simply those. A thought suddenly occurred to the seraph. "You are leaving him without memories? Would he not be helpless, even more so than a human child?"
"You're right, Hannah," he agreed, "Which is why I'm sending you to watch over him".
Hannah felt a thrill of amazement wash over her. It had been a very long time, even by celestial standards, since she had been sent from His side on a mission. "You are asking me to go to Earth, to keep him safe? To take... a vessel?" The seraph, in all her years serving at the throne of God, had never before borrowed a human body to walk the Earth. In fact, she couldn't recall a time in which any of the seraphs had taken a vessel; it was an event of celestial proportions for one to even go forth from the Father's side, to the point where most of the Heavenly Host simply forgot they could. The prospect of going to Earth was both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
He chuckled at her anticipation. "You certainly show a lot more enthusiasm for this mission than certain other angels," he said wryly. "Yes, Hannah, you'll be borrowing a vessel. I have a woman in mind, in fact. She is devout, and will gladly lend you her body for this mission, but you will need to leave most of your Grace in My hands while you are occupying her so as not to harm her."
"Will that not make me just as powerless as a human? If I am to look after Castiel, how can I protect him without the strength of my Grace?" she asked in confusion. "Why send me at all, then?"
"Maybe so you, too, will remember your love for Castiel, and forgive him, too. I know how much it hurt you to see everything he's done, Hannah. Just remember: don't say anything to him about it. He must find his own healing and redemption."
"I will do ask you ask, Father," Hannah answered, setting aside her trepidation as she followed His gaze to a woman hiking along a river down there far, far below, totally unaware, for the moment, of the celestial attention being directed her way.
"Well, then, off you go, Hannah. I'll be sending Castiel along shortly."
"I will be waiting for him."